Gut Feelings
by PiecesOfEight
Summary: The Elric brothers team up with a new set of siblings and an old one for an investigation. But can Ed contend with a sex fiend Homunculus? Can the others come to terms with their feelings and save Ed from himself?
1. New faces, strange dreams

**Disclaimer:I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any of it's characters. I do not own Jiraiya from Naruto.**

** Rei and Kai are my characters. **

**A/N:This version is basically my original concept, tweaked a bit (a lot) with inspiration from**

**Nao Roberts. Ed/Winry and Ed/Rei moments are not major, this will end up a yaoi.**

Ed's eyelids drooped as he stumbled along the street, Alphonse walking beside him. He hadn't had much sleep lately, as they had been walking for days to reach Resembol. His automail arm had been failing and he desperately needed it fixed before going back to Central. They trudged through the quickest of shortcuts, slowly winding through alleys and backstreets. He could vaguely remember the last time he had walked these backstreets… with…

"Edward!" Winry screamed as she watched him approach with Al. The sudden noise disrupted Ed's thoughts and caused him to stumble. He could see the ground approaching through his fluttering eyelids, but was too weak to stop himself. He let the ground take him in, felt himself drifting out of consciousness...

When Ed awoke, he found himself lying on a soft bed. _Winry's bed… _He lay near the open window, watching the first rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains. The last crickets were chirping, the birds already taking over the melodies of nature. A cool breeze disturbed the stillness of the room. Ed slowly got up, not wanting to wake anyone else that may be in the building. He looked around the room, at the pictures on her dresser. Then at the beach, three years ago… he remembered that. He remembered cursing his hormones as he stared at her bikini, speechless. As he entered the familiar hallway, he remembered what had happened yesterday, why he was here. He looked at his newly repaired automail, grinning in spite of himself. _Winry... _

Ed sat outside for a long time, watching the sun rise. He liked the peaceful isolation of daybreak. He liked watching the day burst into life. Around him, the scenery of daybreak reminded him of when he was younger. He would wake up and wait for his mother to come looking. Everything was the same. The clothes, drying on the line, slowly being blown about by the early morning gusts of wind. He let himself get lost in his memories. A while later, something broke the silence. "Edward! Where are you?" He turned around, so entrapped in his memory, he half-expected to see his mother. He smiled at the way it sounded so early in the morning. He was so blinded by memory that his grin slipped when he saw it was Winry. He saw her smile vanish just as quickly as his had, she turned and ran back into the house. He watched her run, wishing she would stay a bit. He spent the next few minutes looking out on the town, but his mind stayed on the hurt look on Winry's face, her dress swishing as she ran away from him.

A few minutes later, Ed walked back up to the house. He let his memories evaporate into the peace of the morning, the magic of the sunrise. Al was sitting at the kitchen table with Winry. There was food on the table. Ed looked surprised, who had gotten up to cook this? Pinako was nowhere in sight, and he came to a cold realization. _It must have been Winry... And this morning she... I... _ He knew by the cold look on her face when she told him to eat that he had upset her, even if not on purpose.

When they left that afternoon to catch their train to Central, Ed regretted not saying thank you, or sorry, or anything to Winry. They just left. Even as they boarded the train he was thinking about that morning. About her smile, about her hurt… and wished he could take it back. He accidentally bumped into someone on the way, barely noticing. Maybe he should have --

"Hey! Watch where you're going, shorty!!" The abrupt yell broke Ed's concentration as he looked at the guy he had bumped into.

"Who, might I ask, are you calling a SHORTY?!" Ed asked disdainfully. He entered into a shouting match with the guy, who only appeared about a year older than Ed was, though he was much taller. Much stronger, how could Ed stand up to this guy?

"Who? I'm talking to--" He was cut off as a girl sitting with him (and, sadly, across from Ed and Al) interrupted him.

"Mei!! Let it go!" She pulled him back into his seat. She then smiled at Ed apologetically. And what a beautiful smile it was. Her face was all kindness. "Sorry about that. He can get pretty worked up sometimes. Are you okay?" She seemed nice enough. Her hair, a soft black, tumbled around the gentle curve of her shoulders, shining in the sunlight, her eyes, so blue, like a sea you could get lost in...

"Yeah. Don't worry about it, I'm fine." He said, staring. She turned away from them, and started to talk to 'Mei'. Ed looked around for other seats, silently wishing there weren't any. He wanted to sit here, with this girl. And his wish came true. All the other pairs were taken. "Great. Looks like these are the only seats, Al." They sat down across from the girl and her friend. He privately cheered at his fortunate, but was careful not to let a grin cross his face. He look again at the girl, drinking in her beauty, the way her eyes sparkling, her lips, soft red, her hair, bouncing around the slight curve of her --

"Oh, hello again!" She smiled at them once more, her eyes twinkling. "Looks like we'll be sitting together, huh?" She looked at her friend, "won't that be great?"

He replied, moodily, "Oh yeah. Barrels of fun." Ed could practically **see** the anger radiating from him. _Who **is **this guy??_ The guy looked Ed up and down, sizing him up. _Maybe she's his girlfriend. Maybe he's protective…_

The girl spoke again, trying to make friends, but Ed was resistant. He didn't want to be friends with this... guy. "My name is Reichel... but everybody just calls me Rei. And this --" she looked at the guy again, "is my brother, Mei."

"My. Name. Is. Not. MEI!" He exploded. He turned to Ed and Al. "My name is Meikaiel. You can call me Kai. She only calls me Mei because she thinks she's funny."

_He's her brother? Wow… nice guy. Maybe he's just protective… _He thought again. "Okay... My name is Edward Elric, and this is my brother Alphonse." Ed replied, glancing out the window, obvious in his lack of interest in this conversation. Ed looked back at the siblings just once, committing them to memory. _The girl, Rei, with the black hair and the blue eyes, purple shirt and the strange bag... symbol like a transmutation circle... and a locket fastened around the strap. And the boy, Kai, with the red top and black bottoms, brown hair and brown eyes... Looks fairly dumb... Jerk._ Ed looked again at the strange bag, and then looked back out the window. He watched the countryside rushing by, vaguely hearing his brother chat with Rei and Kai. All the while he tried to concentrate on something else, but all he could see was Winry's hurt expression, all he could hear was the soft melody that was Rei's voice…

_Wonderful, stuck on a train with these two... How will I pass the time? _Ed looked back at the three of them. Rei, Kai, and Al. Talking. _This is going to be a long train ride..._

Ed felt a hard thump on the back of his seat. He turned around angrily, "Hey! What are you -- WHAT THE?" He nearly fell off his seat.

"Brother? Are you okay?" He heard Al's voice from somewhere to his right.

"Yeah I'm fine…" He got up and walked around to where that guy was sitting. "What are you DOING?" Although Ed had seen perfectly well. This strange man, with his white hair and strange headband, had been taking notes on a porn magazine.

"Huh?" The man looked up from his 'book' and looked around. He didn't spot Ed until he was looking back down at the 'book', "Oh. Were you the one talking to me, pipsqueak?"

Ed's eyes flashed violently. "DON'T CALL ME PIPSQUEAK!!!!!" he roared, jumping at this pervert. Before Ed had even touched the guy, Ed was flat on his back, looking up at the man.

"Who are you to go around disturbing people? I was doing research for you information!!" The man heaved Ed up and sat him down on the seat. "I'm an author."

"What kind of research is that???"

"The BEST kind!!" The man pulled out a book. Ed could just read the title, printed in fineprint under a series of strange symbols.

"Come Come Paradise? Hmmm…" Ed started reading. "This! It's!!! Ed became more and more entrapped in the novel, but had read only the first chapter before the man snatched it away.

"Well? What do you think?" The man, Jiraiya (Ed read it of the cover of the book) had a strange look in his eye, he was reading his 'book' again and almost foaming at the mouth, his look was of pure ecstasy.

"It was… good?" Ed was shocked by how willingly Jiraiya had given him… well… disreputable books to read.

"Good?" Jiraiya looked crestfallen. "Didn't you like the descriptive bits? The kissing? The shower scene? Anything?"

"Well… the shower scene was… ummm…" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rei, still talking to Al. He could remember the exact wording from the book, the imagery was too perfect. He couldn't help but imagine Rei in that scene. He couldn't help but picture her, behind the misty glass…

He opened his eyes. "Brother are you okay? We have to get off the train now."

They had arrived in Central. Ed looked around and found them alone, sitting on the train. He looked out his window and saw Rei walking away, the curve of her back moving as she walked. He got his things and followed Al off the car.

"Brother, you must really have been tired. You slept for the whole ride!"

_Was it all a dream…?_

Don't worry. Ed does not fall in love with Rei. Though he falls in love with somebody!! 


	2. The Real Reason

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Full Metal Alchemist characters. Rei and Kai are mine. **

The eyes of blue he saw, so crisp and clean, slowly turned to onyx. The soft black of the hair hardened. His angel, in all her glory… the one he liked to think about, became his enemy. He fell asleep, dreaming of Rei, she was the light in his dark dream. His dream lightened, softened, and a more familiar face replaced Rei's distinctive features. The eyes of this character, a beady onyx, glistening on the pale face. The hair of this person, a deep black, so short.

Alphonse shook Edward awake. Ed was shaking, and covered in cold sweat he thought was from his nightmare. "Brother, what's wrong?"

Edward looked up at his brother, barely managing to form the words he stammered. "R-Roy… Mustang." Ed couldn't understand what this dream meant. If he had been dreaming of the person he-- It had gone terribly wrong. Why was he thinking of that bastard Colonel now? Was he actually dreading going back to headquarters? Or was it something about that smile… that laugh… Did he really miss the Colonel?

Ed convinced Al they had time, so they wandered the streets of Central for a while. Ed felt sick, _I'm sick because of that nightmare, _he mused. Ed tried to shake his dream from his mind, but he couldn't get rid of the image of Roy's smiling face, the twinkle of his eyes in the light. The pristine uniform clashing against his carefree features. _Back up. What's wrong with me? _

Ed consulted his pocket watch. The pocket watch Roy had given him. Again that flash of the smile… It was a quarter to 12. "Al, what time to we have to be back?" Ed wasn't sure of anything anymore. He knew his brother was though.

"We have to be there at 12." Al could remember anything. Ed was sure Al was right… but that meant…

"Al, we have fifteen minutes to get across town!" Ed screamed urgently. They really shouldn't be late again. Ed felt the cold air rushing by as he sprinted the long way. The wind, as it came, was like icy knives that cut his skin. The wind pulled the air from his lungs as if it was magnetized, and left Ed gasping for air. Ed wondered why he ran so fast. Was he really worried about pleasing Roy Mustang? Did he really want to see the strong, powerful Colonel that badly? The Brothers Elric burst into Colonel Mustang's office at exactly 12 o'clock, panting for air.

When Ed entered the office, he stopped dead in his tracks. In front of him, sitting talking to Roy, Ed saw the familiar angle of soft black hair; he saw the same strange bag. The same shape, curves, scent… "Oh, Full Metal, come in! Come in! Have you met Reichel and Meikaiel Volana?" Roy's smile was as manic as ever. His eyes lingered on Edward for a moment. Eyeing him… hopefully?

Rei and Kai turned around in their seats, no doubt expecting some fabulous (tall) state alchemist. Meikaiel looked slightly annoyed. "Oh, it's you pipsqueak!" Kai turned back to the Colonel, ignoring Ed completely. Al had to restrain the cursing Ed from attacking Kai.

"Hi Edward!" Rei smiled at him. One of her smiles... then, turning back to the Colonel, "We've already met, Colonel Mustang. Now what is it that you called us here for?" Ed had that feeling again, staring at Rei. Staring into the void of her eyes… Behind her he could see Roy's expression, and once again Ed saw the picture of Roy in the dream. Once again he wondered whether he really loved this office because of what it stood for, or because of its inhabitant?

_What's going on with me? This feeling... so cold... _Ed thought he was simply frightened by the dream, but he knew it was more than that. The way Mustang looked at him... Ed could see he would punish him for something... Ed wondered how harsh the punishment would be. He had known Roy to punish him in more ways than just making him to grunt work. He wondered if it would be settled now, or later, when it was just them… He imagined all he could imagine. He imagined everything the Colonel could do to him. His lips quivered, and slowly turned up into a smile as he imagined…

Roy smiled once again, his beady eyes narrowed maliciously. _He's up to something... _Ed thought, but his imagination was interrupted by the Colonel, who began to speak. "I have called the four of you together to go check on something for us. It is very important and this job can not be taken lightly. Can you handle it Full Metal?" He seemed to sneer at Ed when he said this last bit. The sneer was not meant to be rude, Ed realized. It was to mask what he wanted to say, it was to mask something more…

"We're supposed to go with THEM?" Ed burst out. He couldn't, he wouldn't go with Rei and... Kai. "We don't need them, we've done plenty on our own!" Rei looked at him darkly. Ed looked up at the Colonel. _You know I've done more. So much more…_

"So you don't need us?" Rei asked coldly, indignantly. Any traces of her smile had vanished from her face, her stare icy. "We can do it alone too. But we don't need to make a point of it. Just because you're a little short-tempered doesn't mean you don't need help." Ed' eyes flashed violently, with anger and with hurt. He started cursing her use of the word short, silently admitting that he hadn't meant to upset anyone. Except maybe Kai...

Roy politely asked Rei and Kai to leave the room for a moment. They stalked away swiftly, they couldn't wait to leave. When Roy spoke again, it was in an angry whisper. "Now listen here Full Metal. You've just upset an extremely talented State Alchemist, and more importantly, me. You'll do as I say and you'll keep your comments to yourself. Think of this as payment for that time on the street... You remember..." Ed did remember. The time he'd tried to get Roy's attention by screaming 'Dad!' and walking up to him. "I'm only putting you with them because you could learn some humility, maybe even some obedience. And," he added, the glee not hiding in his voice, "I'm sure that your hot-headedness and Kai's easily-annoyed temperament will clash perfectly!!" He went back behind his desk and called Rei and Kai back in. In the moments between their 'chat' with Roy and when Rei and Kai entered the room, he vaguely recalled the feeling when he'd first seen Rei, the fluttering in his stomach, and felt the exact same way, staring at the Colonel. He remembered the last time the Colonel and him had seen each other, and remembering all the details… Ed let his mind wander, let his eyes wander, lingering maybe a second too long on the Colonel.

When Rei and Kai had been seated, Roy began explaining their task. Ed listened to his voice drone on, he seemed tired. Tired of what though? His duties as an alchemist? Or one of his other 'activities'? "You four need to travel to Xenotime. There has been many disturbances in the area around the lab, and due to the strange circumstances we expect homunculi involvement. The Tringam brothers will meet you there and will assist you any way you need. You will need to take the first train."

"Strange circumstances?" Rei and Al asked at the exact same time, their voices mingled... perfect harmony. "What do you mean?" Ed's attention was snapped away from his thoughts, and focused on the matter at hand. Ed and Kai looked around quizzically.

"You'll see when you get there..."


	3. The Strip Down

**Disclaimer: I do not own any FMA characters. Rei and Kai are mine, Naomi belongs to Nao Roberts. **

**A/N: I would like to thank Nao Roberts and GoatMuffin for helping with this chapter. For all you guys out **

**there… This is what girls like us do at sleepovers. **

They walked to the train station in silence. The whispers of the endless quiet washed over Ed as he walked alongside an angry Rei, her demeanor towards him cold, but her facial expression betraying her true mood. She glanced at him, dropping the façade for a moment. He felt the shivers of guilt along his spine. He knew his comments back at the office about not needing partners had upset her… he just wasn't used to this. As they walked to the station, he wondered if he would ever understand how she felt, if he could understand how he could be such an incompetent ass.

As they approached the building, he turned around and stopped her. She looked surprised at first, but let the look of distain settle back onto her face. Staring at her expression, he felt penitence looking into her eyes. The things he had felt on the train earlier that day no longer haunted him, they lingered now with the Colonel. He looked at her reproachfully, which she took as a signal to keep going. She passed by him, her hair swishing across his face. A symbol of tension between them.

His hand lashed out, grabbing her wrist. She could feel the cold automail against her flesh, welcoming it with a softening of her face. She wasn't prepared for him to react. She turned, unable to hide her surprise. "Hey! Who do you think you are? You think you can waltz along, make yourself the center of attention, and when you finally get that attention," Ed narrowed his eyes, "you suddenly act all innocent?" Rei moved to pull away, but Ed would have none of it, as it would seem, and as his automail grip tightened, she hissed. "What do you think you're playing at?"

Ed had raised his voice, and as the older siblings glared at each other, the activities throughout the station continued, accompanied now by suspicious whispers and pointed looks. Breaking the silence was a rather loud and much needed intervention, in the form of one Naomi Roberts yelling out a shameless "HI ED!" as loud as she could. As Alphonse looked on, he could tell that Naomi had waited precisely for the climax before she had intervened; she always seemed to be able to judge Ed's arguments like that.

Rei, who during Ed's initial shock of meeting a familiar face so far from Central had managed to free her arm, raised her eyebrow at the pair before walking back to her brother. The whistle of the train sounded just then, jarring all of the young teens from their wide range of thoughts to run towards the nearest train car, managing to shove themselves through the doorway of the car, which happened to be entirely empty.

Although there were so many places one could sit in this empty car, which Roy had so conveniently booked for them, all of the teens still felt a certain assurance of sitting as a group, despite their differences in opinion. Naomi was squished up against the window, with Edward in the middle and his armored brother seated on the outside. There was a table separating the two parties, with Rei and Kai seated opposite their mutual allies. All five teenagers looked up as a middle-aged woman opened the door, which separated their private car from the rest. She approached the group with a rather reproachful glare before grudgingly offering her service.

"I'm only coming back once kids, so you better order now if you want anything." She barked, dropping a menu on their table. "The man who reserved you this car said I would give you whatever you asked for; no exceptions. Knock yourselves out kids. Alcohol included. Actually, _don't _knock yourselves out. I don't want to be cleaning up any messes."

Ed and Kai glanced at each other. Traveling to Xenotime with these two giggling girls? Ed ordered half a dozen bottles of the strongest liquor the waitress could find. The girls, however, did not seem intent to get drunk this night. They both only ordered a mild martini. Alphonse, of course, ordered nothing, not being able to drink anything. He sat there awkwardly before finally moving to the other end of the car.

As the waitress walked back to the cooler car, two things were running through her mind; neither of which she wanted to know the answer to. The first was what this Roy person was thinking, supplying a bunch of 15 year olds with alcohol, and the second was what activities would occur after the drinks had been downed. Shaking her head, she closed the door.

The entire reason Naomi had showed up, she explained, was that she had planned a surprise visit to her old friend Russell. Rei looked surprised at this statement. She couldn't control her outburst of thought, "R-Russell Tringam? You know Russell?" Everyone looked around at her. _They must think I'm crazy, not mentioning I know Russell until now._

Ed must have been psychic, as his next question voiced what the entire group was thinking. "How come you didn't mention knowing Russell before? When he was mentioned in Mustang's office? We all thought this was a mystery to you and your brother." Rei blushed slightly, but by that time had gathered herself enough to simply respond, "I'd just heard of a Russell Tringam… something about his father Nash and the Philosopher's Stone." But her eyes gave her away.

After the girls had polished off their martinis, and the boys were already half way through their second bottle (Ed had evidently drunk most of it) Naomi spoke. The first time she had spoken in a while, she had seemed deep in thought and the others didn't want to disturb her quiet contemplation. "Guys, I've been thinking. We all need to unwind a bit. Some of us less than others, of course—" She looked pointedly at Ed, "But we all need to relax. How about a game of poker?" She withdrew a deck of cards from her bag and shook them teasingly. This earned her a reproachful look from the surly Ed, but she waved it off as a formality, as if it happened every day.

Kai, on the other hand, looked interested. A little _too_ interested. He looked up and remarked sarcastically, "You want to play _poker?_ That's the best you can do? Or was it a little something _more?_" The look of surprise on his face when Naomi replied was priceless.

She smiled suggestively. "What? A little _Strip_ Poker?" Everyone looked startled at the suggestion. Slowly, the group came around, and the first hand was dealt. By the time they were on the third hand, Kai had finished drinking. Ed, however, was set on finishing all the lovely alcohol that had been so adequately provided. He had already demolished two bottles and was going after the third. Ed looked around the room, seeming surprised that Al was no longer with them. He hadn't been paying much attention to what was around him.

He couldn't escape his feelings, as he was feeling less and less for Rei, and more and more for Roy. He couldn't hide from it anymore, so he ran from it. Straight into a bottle. At first he had pondered whether or not the amount of alcohol in each bottle was enough to drown himself with. He eventually submitted to the fact that he would have to drown his sorrows instead. So he began to drink. It was a strange sensation at first. His insides were burning, his mind on fire. Burning the image of Roy forever onto his retina, so whenever he closed his eyes he saw the Colonel, smiling back at him. Eventually, the burning sensation moved farther down his body, from his mind to his throat, into his chest, and down past his gut. The alcohol made him feel better, and he could enjoy the game more. He barely even noticed when he lost and was forced to take of his shirt. He could only imagine if the Colonel were here.

Lady luck seemed to have turned her back on Naomi. She was losing constantly, and though she didn't seem to mind, she also seemed relieved that she was wearing more clothes than everyone else. She had felt rather cold that morning, and had proceeded to dress in many layers. Seemed she could cheat luck for the moment. Kai looked at her. "And _who_ was the one who suggested this game?" He asked her ironically. He was eyeing her curves, the way she shook her hair when she removed each layer, slowly. He could breathe in her scent from where he sat. He was almost glad she had suggested the game in the first place. Glad he had prompted her into hanging the stakes. He gave her a look of pure yearning. She caught his eyes with hers and returned the look. They exchanged their secret 'joke' like two small children. Naomi would make sure they would meet up later.

Rei, on the other hand, was drastically winning. She had successfully bluffed herself out of tight situations, and had lost only two hands. She never liked to lose, not money, and the fat that this was strip poker made no difference. She knew it was fun, but she didn't see the point when there was nobody to look. She could see her brother eyeing the girl Naomi, and she could see Ed losing himself, being drawn over to the side of drunkenness. She knew that in the morning she would have the task of taking care of Ed in his hung over state, and needless to say she was not excited about it. Her mind was purely on one thing. The concept of seeing Russell Tringam again. When she had seen him last, she had left suddenly, leaving them on quite a rocky base. She needed to see him again, kept a picture of him wherever she went. She missed him, but she couldn't let him know. He had moved on, she had let him go.

Ed saw things unfolding all around him, but barely acknowledged any of it. He was thinking of one thing in his drunk state. Naomi. He could see her undressing as she lost another round. He also saw something between her and Kai, a smile? A joke? Maybe even… a moment? He couldn't shake the feelings he felt for the Colonel, but he could almost, _almost_ match them in Naomi. But not quite. All he had for now was Naomi. He needed to liberate himself from the Colonel's memory. He needed to forget Roy Mustang. And all he could think of that would achieve that was having her. They had been friends for so long anyways… He was certain she felt something for him. But as he thought of her, he also thought of Roy. How he wished he was here. How he needed someone to talk to, to care about. His brother had left the group long ago, left Ed alone with these… these… these people. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be in Central, at H.Q., with Roy. Ed would have to make due for now, getting lost in the essence of Naomi. He needed to familiarize himself with her shape, her lips, her scent, her taste… He vaguely recalled similar thoughts being voiced by Envy, but passed it off as the alcohol talking. He needed comfort, he needed her.

Soon after midnight, Ed passed out. He slumped over in his chair, but nobody really took notice. The game had been abandoned long ago, but no one had bothered to get redressed. Ed, hunched over in his chair, was wearing no more than his pastel blue boxers. He had remained wearing a boot at the beginning of the game, he never really considered taking it off. Ed's automail shone in the light of the candles, but the ambience was directed somewhere else. Kai, who had managed only to lose his top half of clothes, was sitting talking to Naomi. The twosome seemed entrapped in the conversation, bathed in the romantic light of the candles. Naomi was wearing a tight, black, sports bra, revealing something, but not much. Kai's eyes had long ago traveled along the slight curve of her breasts, and he was now staring into her violet eyes, as if he had been ensnared in an inescapable trap. Naomi had a military jacket strewn across her lap, keeping her relatively warm. She held her chin in her automail right hand, her attention rapt. Rei lay awake, thinking about Russell. What she would say when they saw each other again. Whether or not they would dredge up the painful memories or simply not mention their former meetings at all. The painful memories were soon swallowed up in the void, as Rei fell into a dream-filled slumber.

Naomi and Kai, on the other hand, were still deeply involved in conversation, and had no intention of falling asleep, lest it be together. The pair had certainly traveled through a wide variety of topics since their conversation had begun, and were currently set on commenting each others' favorable traits, in lieu of other subjects which could have been just as easily drawn on at any time. Kai was rather enjoying the view; Naomi's blonde bangs covering her violet eyes seductively as she leaned on her automail on the table. As the candles flickered, Kai watched the shadows moving almost playfully across her nearly bare pale skin.

Kai found himself unable to speak, afraid he would say something embarrassing, something he would regret. At the moment, all he could think about was all of the things that the twosome could _do._ His hand was splayed onto the table, and as he became lost in thought (though some could argue it to be a hormonal imagination), he found Naomi's human hand on top of his. Before he could second guess himself, Kai leaned over and planted a kiss on her pale lips. Her initial reaction was one of shock, but she responded after a short while by opening her mouth and accepting him inside. As the two engaged in a rather heated battle of tongues, the rest of the world passed in a blur through the covered windows of the train. As one sibling angsted over a rather disturbing superior officer, another became lost in her dreams, and a third distanced himself from his scary friends and alcohol-obsessed brother, the two young lovers were free to do as they pleased, so long as they did not wake their friends. And as the moon danced above the train as it traveled, all seemed utterly and romantically _perfect._ Well, from one vantage point at least.


	4. Bitter Fantasies

**Disclaimer: I do not own any FMA charaters. Rei and Kai are mine, Naomi belongs to Nao Roberts.**

**A/N: I would like to thank Nao Roberts for her very involved help with the end of this chapter.**

The train whistle blew as they approached the station, bringing the entire car out of its dead slumber into wakefulness. Ed awoke with such a fierce headache he could barely stand, all he could see was the six empty liquor bottles on the table before him. He saw some of the others wake, but was desperately trying to stand without fainting. Rei was awake and alert, practically panicking that they had woken so late. She tried not to think of what—or who—was waiting outside the station. She looked over at her brother, asleep on the seat, his arms encircling Naomi. _At least they're dressed now,_ she thought, trying to stray her mind from the fact that in a few minutes she would be seeing Russell… for the first time in… ages.

As Naomi stirred she could feel his arms around her, strong and protective. She moved as little as possible, so as not to wake him. She listened to his slow, steady breathing, timing it to the rises and falls of his chest. When he awoke, he seemed startled. He moved his hands away, and she felt a little let down. "S-Sorry," he mumbled, moving to get up.

She whispered in his ear as he got up, "It's okay." A part of her didn't want to let him go, wanted to pull him back down to the seat, wanted to touch him, to hold him, to have him, but she let him go. She slowly gathered her things and prepared to get off the train.

Alphonse, of course, had been awake for quite some time, trying to understand how the four remaining teens had dispersed themselves so thoroughly throughout the car that their resting places seemed to tell a story. He tried to fill in the blanks in his head, but he did not prevail. He could imagine, but he supposed his guesses would be off. He could picture Edward drinking himself into oblivion and Rei simply falling asleep. He could picture, as if through a window, Naomi and Kai talking, late into the night, kissing, and falling asleep in each other's warm embrace. He thought that was completely nonsensical, but stranger things had happened.

Rei gathered her things and packed them back into her bag. The only thing she kept with her, stowed away inside the pocket of her jacket, was her pocket watch. The picture of Russ safely inside it. She had promised herself two years ago, when she'd last seen Russ, that wherever his picture was locked up, her heart would be locked up too. But now that she was here, in Xenotime, going to face him, her mind whirred with all the things she could say, and all the things she couldn't. Was her heart being tested? Or was she supposed to unchain it, and once again let it take her over? Everything she had thought about Russ over the last two years seemed trivial now faced with the challenge of seeing him. The silk threads of the web she'd gotten caught in had started to break and the past was simply one long spire behind her. She questioned if she could handle it.

Kai gathered his things too, but instead of neatly packing them like usual, he flung them into his bag with abandon. All his thoughts were on Naomi. On the sound of her voice, the feel of her hand on his, the feeling he had when their lips touched. He remembered last night as if it were an elaborate fantasy. The things he felt were so intense that he could barely see straight. He couldn't wrap his head around her beauty, the subtleties of her features, every detail made her perfect. He couldn't help imagining her as Ed had once imagined Rei. Standing behind the frosted glass, the mist appearing, making the picture hazy. The water, cool and refreshing, showering down on her body like rain from the heavens, cascading off her shoulders, the shoulders of an angel. He thought about the time they could spend together. He was like a kid in a candy store. One taste and he couldn't stop.

Al watched the speeding landscape slow and become visible. He could see the beauty of the trees passing. He couldn't believe this was Xenotime. When they had been here last the place had barely any plants at all. _Fletcher and Russell have really done a good job helping the town rebuild._ he thought, watching the new vegetation pass him by. He remembered the last time he had seen Fletcher's smile, so similar to how his own had been when he was his age. He could remember Russ' determination, and he could remember how Fletcher had helped Al and his brother. In truth, he couldn't wait to see his friends again. The train slowed and stopped, shaking the car slightly. As Al stepped out into the bright sun of a new day, he vaguely recalled how different the city had been then. It had seemed so much darker, there was less life in the city back then. He finally got the other four together, after checking the car for anything and everything they had forgotten, and the five of them had ventured away from the train and out to where Russell and Fletcher Tringam stood waiting.

As Russell Tringam stood waiting for the train from Central to arrive, he thought of many things. He knew the

Brothers Elric were coming, but he had heard that they had a few others with them. He was curious as to who they were. Had they met? Were they friends, or enemies? Either way he had promised the Colonel that he would assist the party in any way. The strange occurances at the former site of the lab were, in deed, bizarre. As he squinted through the bright lights of early morning, he could just make out the shape of Alphonse Elric's armour. He could barely see another three, maybe four, shapes alongside him, but the light was too strong and he could barely see anything at all. He called his brother, Fletcher, to his side. "They're coming, Fletcher. They've finally come." As he looked on, the shapes became clearer, he could barely see faces, and familiar people emerged from the dusty haze. There were the Brothers Elric, although Edward seemed somewhat sick, or disgruntled, he couldn't tell which. There was Naomi Roberts, who started madly waving and yelling at the sight of the Brothers Tringam, and there was Kai Volana. Kai had come to Xenotime a few years ago, in search of his sister. His sister, Reichel, had come shortly after Kai had left, and Russ had become fast friends with her. Tensions between them became dire just before she'd had to leave. They had always been on good terms, Russ had always felt… different… about her. But something had happened. He wasn't quite sure what, but she'd left at such a bad time too…

Rei could barely believe how much he'd grown. As soon as she could see his face, the familiar angle of blond hair, she'd known it was him. The fluttering in her stomach had returned, and a million thoughts whirred through her head at lightspeed. She wasn't going to bring it up if he didn't. She could barely recognize him for how much he'd changed, how much he'd matured, but when she saw the smile, the blue eyes shining faintly silver, she knew it was him. She didn't even have to look to know… he was staring right at her.

She looked so much different. She'd grown her hair out. She'd gotten older, matured. But still it was her. Russell couldn't help but stare as she dragged the disgruntled Edward Elric out to where they stood. _Rei…_ It was all he could think. He remembered what had happened, but he didn't want to bring it up. It was such a strange change after all. Everything had gone terribly wrong at all the worst times. He doubted even she knew why. But in deed it had happened. And as fate would have it, you couldn't run from your past. And here she was, coming back to him…

Fletcher couldn't contain his excitement at seeing all these familiar faces. He ran up to the five strangers, ignoring his brother's calls to come back. He went to Edward first, he seemed a tad ill. "Hi Ed!" he said, grinning to his fullest extent. "How's it going? Are you okay?" He looked the hung over alchemist up and down. "What's happened to you? You look like something we dragged in from the rain. In fact, you're about the size of something we dragged in from the rain this one time. Wow, have you gotten shorter?"

"Fletcher! Who are you calling short?" Ed was barely yelling, his head couldn't stand it. But he was certainly making some half-hearted swings at Fletcher's head. "What do you mean have gotten shorter? Maybe you're a little taller but I'm not SHRINKING!!!!" Fletcher could only just dodge Ed's automail as it flung wildly in front of him. Moving forward, as Fletcher dodged again, Ed jarred his automail right into the wall, causing a recoil that shook Ed from head to toe and almost made Rei and Naomi drop him.

Fletcher, a little disturbed by Ed's readiness to jump today, moved on to Kai. "Hey Kai! How've you been?" Fletcher looked inquiringly at Kai's dazed expression. He was still thinking of Naomi. "You seem a little distracted… something wrong?" Kai completely ignored him. He was still thinking of their game last night. Of everything that had happened…

"Hiya Fletcher!" Naomi called to him, waving with her (semi)-free arm. "How've you been?" Naomi smiled at him as he told her everything that had been going on. The revitalization project, the re-starting of the farms and the growing of the vegetation. Al joined the conversation, and because of this, Rei was left unnoticed as she helped Ed along. She bitterly noted how she wished she could be involved, she wished she could just come back into the lives of the Brothers Tringam, like Ed, like Al, Naomi, even Kai. But she couldn't. And she also sadly noted that her bitterness towards wanting what she could not have mirrored her bitterness to having what she did not want. And she slowly realized that they both equally reflected the bitterness she felt towards Russell.

He did not feel bitter. He felt guilty. He knew that part of the something was his fault, and he was sure that it hurt her terribly. He remembered her icy manor towards him when she left. She left him there to wonder what went wrong when even she did not know completely. All she knew was what he knew. And that was what had gone terribly wrong. But after these years, all he could do was apologize, and hope she had forgotten. He knew what had hurt her had not only hurt her mentally, but physically as well. It broke his heart to do it. It really did. But at the time he truly thought he had had no choice.

She wandered towards him, thinking about what had truly happened. She knew that even an apology couldn't make her forget. What he had done was so terrible. It broke her heart. It broke his heart. It broke them simultaneously, into congruent pieces. It shattered their souls and tore them apart. But still they had been drawn to one another. Who knew why? Well, she knew. And she supposed that he knew too. It was just too painful to recall, to painful to talk about. There was only one true way to feel that pain. And that was to experience it firsthand, as they had done, two years ago…

Edward was now more aware of his surroundings, and no longer needed the two girls to drag him around like some old tattered doll that they couldn't bear to leave behind. He was also aware that the once desert town of Xenotime was filled with plants, creating an image not unlike their country home in Resembool. He followed the rest of his friends down a familiar trail, though why the trail was so familiar Ed hadn't the faintest idea. His mind kept returning to his two fantasies; the one which he preferred, of a black haired man with onxy eyes, which seemed to teeter in and out of his grasp, and another, of a girl his age which seemed to come dangerously close to matching the desirability of the first, which would have seemed so much more achievable if they had not met Kai. _Bastard._

The trees thinned about them and they found themselves looking at a rather large house, even for the Tringams. Heck, it was probably bigger than a house Ed and Al could have purchased if they had wished. As his other companions ogled at the building before them, Ed's well trained eyes noted another building further off, also rather large in size.

"Hey, Fletch'," Edward whispered, bending over to tug at the younger boy's sleeve. "What's that place, over there?" The rest of the group had continued on to the house, but the two small figures stayed behind a while longer.

"It's a bathhouse Ed." With that, Fletcher ran off towards the house, leaving Edward's hormonal mind to fantasize over what one could _accomplish_ within the confines of said bathhouse.

Towards mid-afternoon, the group of travelers had decided that a trip to the bathhouse was one much needed, especially after their games and fantasies the day before. Even Russell and Fletcher decided that they were in dire need of a visit, even though they lived rather close to the bathhouse. Naomi shook her head. Boys were all identical in that one aspect; why do now what you could put off 'til later?

"Hey Naomi, what's with the long face?" Rei asked from her own shower.

"I could ask you the same question," Naomi replied, grinning mischievously. "I saw you angst-ing over Russell, so don't start on me." That did the job, as it proceeded to make Reichel's cheeks burn; though she could hardly tell whether she was more worked up over embarrassment or frustration. In retaliation, Rei thought up a rather poorly-strewn comeback, though considering their lack of sleep it hardly seemed to matter; anything could set them off today.

"You know, I'm actually quite surprised why my brother has even taken an interest in you; I mean, it's not like you have anything _admirable_ to flaunt."

"Oh, where _you _on the other hand can show off such assets as to make the whole world jealous." This was stated with such coated sarcasm that even Naomi had to check herself for the rather out-of-character remark. Both girls eyed each other momentarily before bursting into random fits of giggles.

On the other side of the wall, Edward and Russell stood peering into the showers. Both boys had experienced rather erotic fantasies over both girls while in the showers; though neither had actually had the imagination to see them fully unclothed. As they drank in the sight of the two girls moving as if no-one were watching, they felt themselves hardening rather uncomfortably beneath their towels. Both had their own perspective on the situation and who they were watching, the end result was the same: two boys between 14 and 15 years of age, acting like total peeping toms and rather horny perverts. Russell spared a glance at his friend, and found him to be completely out of it. And as Edward watched both girls moving and throwing random insults at each other (neither insult of which appeared relevant at the time) he recalled meeting the gray-haired man on the train. Though he had rather enjoyed that chapter at the time, he enjoyed seeing the real thing far more. He would definitely be dreaming wet for the next few nights. Russell would be too. As they looked on, Edward could now truly answer the question Jiraiya had asked him earlier. "Well, what did you think of the shower scene, hmmm?" Ed grinned to himself. He could now say that he most _thoroughly _enjoyed it.


	5. Sweet and Sour Surprises

**Disclaimer: I do not own any FMA characters. Rei and Kai are mine; Naomi belongs to Nao Roberts.**

**A/U: Thanks to Nao Roberts and GoatMuffin for help with this chapter… again. More importantly, thank you Nao Roberts for the last three paragraphs.**

Ed, Kai and Russ lay awake in the dimly lit den, lazing about on the comfortable seating. None of them could sleep, they were all thinking about what had been done earlier that day in the bathhouses. "Maybe we shouldn't have done it. I feel really…" Russ began, thinking of how disappointed the girls would be if they ever found out.

"Guilty?" Ed finished. He too was feeling remorse, but for a different reason entirely. "If they ever found out…" Ed didn't want to finish that sentence. If they ever found out, he could ruin the one chance he had left with a decent, if not flat-chested girl.

Russ was deep in thought. If Rei ever found out, that would be it for their friendship. He'd crossed too many lines two years ago and he knew that they were hanging by a thread. A thin, fraying thread, no less. She would never forgive him, he just couldn't take that. He was already in deep… she couldn't find out.

Kai, on the other hand, had actually taken a proper, lengthy shower, and had completely decided against going to spy on the girls. He was slightly divided over the topic as well. Now, he would have been perfectly willing if it had been Naomi and Naomi alone; he was rather anxious to fill in the blanks of his fantasies. However, Rei had been with her, and considering that they were siblings, he found the thought quite disturbing. Kai knew very well that he and Rei were truly only step-siblings, but he had lived with her for so long that he had truly taken her to be a sister. The thought of seeing her as he yearned to see Naomi was completely forbidden from so many vantage points in his mind.

Edward shook his head, grinning sheepishly. "Why're we all sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves? We all have free time, we should spend it in other ways than playing the guilt-trip card." Both boys looked at Ed, but before they began to understand where he was coming from, the girls walked into the room.

Naomi smiled at them "Hey guys," she offered the salutation cheerfully, blissfully unaware of the previous topic. She could feel the tension in the room. "What's up?" she asked shakily. They had all stopped talking when they had entered the room. Had they been talking about them? Naomi looked around at Rei. The exchanged uncertain glances, but the guys were all smiles.

"Oh, nothing really. What have you guys been up to? Haven't seen you since this afternoon…" Ed began, which earned him a sharp stomp on the foot (under the table of course) from Russ. The sharp intake of breath turned all eyes to Ed, who continued feebly, "when we all went to our rooms." He could feel the eyes on him, practically shouting 'Good. No mention of the baths.'

The girls began talking about their 'eventful' afternoon. They'd gone around to look at the new things in Xenotime, things that had not been there when they were here is previous times. It had changed so much, for the better. The small mining town was now a happy, bustling city, full of life. The girls did the same the next evening.

When the girls returned to the house, they found an extrememly distraught looking Kai sitting in the den. They asked what was wrong, but he wouldn't tell them. _I have to tell them… it isn't right… but maybe not Rei…_ When the girls turned to leave, he called Naomi back. She let Rei go upstairs to talk to Ed and Russ.

When it was just the two of them, Kai found it even more difficult to say anything. He couldn't be this close to her… He got up and sat down on the other end of the room. Away from her comforting shoulder. Without making eye-contact, he began to tell her what he'd found out. "Well, last night, in the bathhouse, Ed and Russ…" he started talking, and Naomi urged him to continue.

"Ed and Russ did what? Is that why Ed is complaining? Did they slip and fall or something?" Naomi looked a little worried. Not so much about Ed slipping and falling on his ass, but about how upset Kai was about it.

"No, ummm, they…" And he told her. He told her the whole story. And as nice a girl she was, she promised not to tell Rei. Not yet.

Rei walked up the stairs, hoping the boys weren't there talking. She couldn't face them right now. She needed to sleep, to clear her head. But of course, you never get want you truly want, and on the way to her room, there they were. They called for her to join them, and so she did. They talked about random things at first, but then the conversation swayed to how Xenotime used to be.

"So, this place really has changed a lot," Ed observed. He started talking about things that happened last time they were there.

The feeling was back. Rei felt the coldness return. She couldn't think about that. Not now… it had been going so well. They were forgetting about it, finally letting it go. _Though, _she supposed, _it might have actually helped me. It made me stronger… taught me hate. I never hated anyone so much in my life._ She dared a look up at Russ. The look on his face was purely apologetic. She looked away, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. She couldn't look at him right now. He was genuinely sorry, she could see that, but… after what he did…

He could just see the glimmer of a tear, but she wouldn't wipe it away. She wouldn't show that she was crying. She wouldn't forgive him. Not yet.

Ed briefly looked between Russ and Rei, and saw the expressions on their faces. He didn't know why the past was such a touchy subject, but he could give them enough space to work it out. He slowly started to retreat, when Naomi came up the stairs, looking shaken. She sat down next to Rei, opposite Russ and Ed. The traumatized girls facing their oppressors.

Naomi couldn't believe what she'd been told. Ed asked her what was wrong, but she barely heard him. When he came over to comfort him, she pulled away. _What did I do?_ He wondered. He really couldn't figure it out. _Girls these days…_

Edward sat beside her, keeping a comfortable distance from the girl who seemed to be giving him the cold shoulder, while inside, Naomi was silently pleading Rei to get up and leave so they could go together. The silence felt like an icy wall falling down upon them all. It was crushing them… it wouldn't let them go…

Rei must have heard the silent plea, for she got up and took the shivering Naomi to her room. Naomi refused to tell her what had gotten her so shaken up. Rei didn't have a good feeling about this. All she knew was that it was bad, and it involved Elric. She lay awake thinking about it. When she turned over, she found a letter on the desk. She recognized the handwriting, it was from Russ. She let one tear roll down her cheek and silently slipped into unconsciousness.

When Ed woke up next morning, he found Naomi, already awake, cooking breakfast. He remembered the last time someone had cooked for him with that expression… _It was the same with Winry, I must really have hurt her. But what did I do?_ He sat down in silence and ate when she told him to eat. Minutes later, Russ appeared at the foot of the stairs. He began to ask a question but Ed cut him off, "Fletcher and Al went to see Elisa again today. They left early." Ed seemed a little bit too quiet. Naomi's sudden coldness towards him had affected him more than he thought it would.

As Russell turned and left the kitchen in pursuit of his brother, Edward gazed up at the girl whose back was once again turned away from him. Her bare feet brushed against the tiles as she moved across the floor, grabbing herself only a cup from the cupboards before turning to the fridge, retrieving a jug of water and placing it on the table as she sat across from him. Her look was cool and calculating, though Ed still could not put a finger on what he had done. Naomi raised an eyebrow at the confused blonde sitting across from her. She was also slightly confused about her feelings for the blonde boy across from her, but she also knew that if she decided to show him any kind of attention in _that_ manner, she would not be able to do so while in 20 feet of Kai, or any locations that Kai would visit.

Naomi stood, cocking her head to the side before clearing the dishes. Ed was starting to develop a slight idea of what was bothering her, and hell, he didn't like it one bit. He had a feeling that Kai, being the obedient little dog he was had told her everything._ Jerk._ Ed's thoughts drifted between Naomi and the Colonel, unable to decide whether he would prefer to be straight for this tempermental girl, or if he could afford to ruin his sanity to be with a man that was roughly twice his age. He looked up, afraid he had been ignoring Naomi when she had cooked breakfast just for him. As luck would have it that was exactly the thing he had done. The girl was nowhere in sight, but he saw the swish of her military garments as she tore into the hallway.

Rei woke up feeling a little better. She couldn't help but remember it was Russ' house. _His _house. She looked back at the desk and saw the letter. Getting up, she slowly walked over to the desk and picked up the letter. It was heavy, and long, she could tell that much. It seemed that Russ had sealed the envelope. He didn't want anyone to read it but her. She sat down and looked at it thoughtfully. Slowly she broke the seal. She carefully unfolded the letter and began to read.

'Rei- 

_I know you're thinking how stupid I am. Writing you a letter because I'm too much of a coward to say these things to your face. But I feel that if I don't tell you now, I may soon forget. I need you to know, because I feel the sooner you know, the sooner you may forgive me. I know it's a lot to ask—'_

You're damn right it's a lot to ask—

_'But it's important to me—you're important to me. And I think that if you never know the truth, the past will continue to be a nightmare, continue to be our curse._

_'Just in case you have forgotten to what I am referring—'_

Oh, how could I forget?—

_'Even though it may be painful, I ask you to remember what happened two years ago. You will remember that at that point in my life I was focused on one thing, and one thing only—the Philosopher's Stone. I became too overcome by the work that I became obsessed. I was blind to everything else around me. When you came into my life, I was happy. But my obsession took over me and everything that I did was for the Stone, or at least that's what he told me. He was the person in charge of the creation of the Stone. He supervised us and gave us instructions. One instruction he gave us was to test the Red Water for its effects on the people. So you remember, or you may not—'_

Yes, because I could really forget, how dumb do you think I am?—

_'That I needed somewhere to test the Red Water. At that point it wasn't nearly as toxic as it became later. It seemed that giving it to someone directly wouldn't do much harm. So, I began cooking with it, endangering myself, my brother, but even worse, you. I remember that you became desperately ill from the Red Water, but since Fletcher and I worked with it every day it had no effect on us, only you. _

_'You need to know that after you became sick I did everything I could to help you—'_

Liar. You left me there, sick—

_'But you must know that when you got better I was so blindingly happy. I know that the reason I was happy was because I felt… different… around you. But by that time you were mad at me. I couldn't do anything more. And you left. I felt so stupid, letting you go. _

_'I need you to forgive me. I can't be there for you if you can't forgive me._

_'—Russell'_

Rei sat there and read that letter. She wondered if it was a cruel joke, or if he was sincere. Did he really expect her to believe that letter? That he did everything he could? That was simply sad. But what made it worse? She believed him.

Naomi had indeed run off as Ed had been deep in thought. She had, though slightly unconsciously, been judging Ed from a distance. She had found the blonde to be guilty as charged. Everything that Kai had said was true. Naomi figured that she was going to keep the truth a secret from Rei, for a little while longer at least. She had the feeling that Russell and Rei were having a breakthrough in their relationship, and she wanted her friends to be happy as well. As she moved up the stairs deep in thought, and almost tripped over the last step. Kai happened to catch her at the last moment, halting her movement. Her arms moved around him as a natural reflex, but she quickly drew away, making sure that they couldn't be seen. Kai pulled her into his room, locking the door and kissing her passionately.

Naomi wasn't sure why exactly, it just happened. It happened quickly and without much thinking. As she kissed Kai, her mind exploded, telling her what she wanted, what she thought she wanted, and what she wanted more. She let her feelings take her over, first running her hands through his hair, and he held her neck. Slowly, she began to explore his chest, and he let her. Together they pulled off his shirt, his bare chest free for her to explore. His muscles rippled under her tender touch, as he gently moved them over to his bed. They carefully lay down, his body on hers, and he moved one hand to her waist, slowly pushing up her shirt. She allowed him to remove her shirt and she lay on his bed, happy feeling the warmth of his mouth on hers. He wasn't aggressive, but gentle. He kissed her neck, as his hands began to explore her body, as she had done to him. They turned over, now her body was on his. She undid his belt, and slowly removed his pants. He lay in his boxers, pulling her to him, still kissing her with a deep, unending passion that could be called love. She felt it was right, he felt it to. They both wanted it, and so together they also removed her pants. They lay, together, in their underwear, bodies pressing up against each other, as they acknowledged their feelings, and set them free. He pressed harder now, he didn't want it to end. Neither did she, and so she let him unhook her bra. She felt the smooth material slide off her flesh, and they both lay together, bare. Almost completely together; almost one.

She paused for a moment as he caressed her cheek, kissed her neck. Her eyes fell upon the dim light, traveled to the dark curtains, drawn across the wide windows. The locked door, they were completely alone. Isolation. _Am I… Are we really going to…?_ Looking into his eyes, her mind went blank. She lost all thought as she kissed him with abandon. She had never felt this extreme happiness; she had never felt this free.

He knew it was a mutual desire, and so he let her go farther and farther, as she let him. He had imagined this, imagined her, countless times already, but having his fantasies, in the flesh, felt much better. He began to feel real, feel alive, as he had never done before. She let out a quiet, muffled moan of happiness, as he kissed her neck, her lips curved into a smile. He had never had so intense feelings towards anything, towards anyone. He began to feel complete.

Kai kissed her neck again, teasing the flesh with his teeth. Naomi moaned again, reaching up to tangle her hands into his hair. He moved lower and lower down her neck, teasing the flesh with soft kisses and tender nips, constantly earning more heated moans from her. He finally reached where her neck met her torso, and he nuzzled the hollow of her collar bone, his tongue sneaking out to run across the skin. She closed her eyes, moaning again as he continued to work lower, nipping here and kissing there. As he reached her bare chest, he pulled away a little, surveying her pale form laying ever-so-innocently beneath him. He watched her automail glint in the light that managed to sneak in past the curtains, and ran a finger tenderly along the scarred tissue. It was definitely a weak area, and she cried out softly.

Kai moved back down to her breasts, and took one peaked nipple into his mouth, careful to avoid his teeth closing over it. She moaned, her back arching to meet him as her breathing became ragged. He ran his tongue around the tip, looking up to watch her face as it displayed her pleasure, and desire for more. He moved down her slowly, and stopped at her navel to place a warm kiss against it. She reached for him suddenly, and brought him back up her body until they were at eye level. "Let me try…" she whispered to him. Naomi leaned up to kiss him, and pulled him around so that she hovered over top. She repeated similar actions to those that Kai had done earlier. Through heated moans, he was able to conclude that it felt so much more erotic with her automail hand, as she acted as though it was a normal hand. The contrast between his warm flesh and her cool arm felt so wonderful.

He was wrapped up in his thoughts so much that he didn't quite notice what Naomi was up to until his boxers had been pulled to his knees. Kai made to protest, but stopped as she moved her hand from the base to the tip, stroking slowly and teasingly until she reached the tip, moaning and bucking his hips forward. Naomi grinned seductively, and in one fluid motion, she enveloped his entire arousal in her mouth, the warmth causing Kai to buck forwards and call out. She moved back to the tip, sucking on him, while both hands lay at the base. He felt her cool automail brush against him, and it felt so good that he could barely contain himself. She pulled away and blew across the tip, sending chills down his spine, and causing him to moan, his low voice vibrating in his throat. As Naomi heard the noise he made, she became even more determined to send him over the edge. She played across the tip with her tongue before taking him in again, sucking and moving back and forth until he felt himself no longer able to contain the pleasure he felt. He climaxed into her mouth, immediately giving her an apologetic look as he panted in euphoria.

"Naomi! Naomi where'd you go?" They heard the call at the same time, and they both jumped, rushing to pull on their clothes. Naomi was dressed first, and walked over to the small mirror, trying to fix it into a more acceptable mess than it was now. Kai walked over to the door to retrieve the long ago discarded shirt and pulling it over his head. He moved back over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He saw her smile reflected in the mirror, and she pulled away, walking towards the door, hoping dearly that no one would be there to see her emerge. It was days like these where she was strangely glad of wearing a turtleneck, covering any marks that Kai would have made. Lady luck, on the other hand, preferred to play rather cruel jokes on those who were enjoying themselves, and Naomi's pleas would fall on deaf ears.


	6. Feeling Envious

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FMA O/Cs. Rei and Kai are mine. Naomi belongs to Nao Roberts.**

**A/N: Thanks to Nao Roberts… again… for the help with the end of this chapter. **

Rei wiped the last tear from her cheek and went to find Naomi. She searched her room first. Then the kitchen. She began to get worried, Ed had just seen her, and the dishes had been cleared. She couldn't ask Kai, he was in his room, door locked. She ran to find Ed as he climbed the stairs. He seemed indifferent, distracted, but snapped out of his stupor as he heard her call out, "Naomi? Where are you?" He joined her in her search, and the pair of them stopped dead at the top of the stairs. Kai's door had just opened, but instead of revealing a bleary-eyed Kai, it revealed Naomi, with Kai's arms wrapped around her.

Naomi was shocked. _Luck really does hate me._ She thought bitterly, reluctantly removing herself from Kai's grip. Ed tried to look uninterested, but his gaping mouth gave him away. Rei's look of surprise, matching Ed's, slowly slipped off her face and changed to an expression of understanding. She saw, along with the changing of her own expression, Naomi's expression slide into one of mixed anguish and relief. Rei vaguely understood. She had seen the sparks between Ed and Naomi long before Kai, whose current facial expression clearly told Ed, 'back off. Let it go.'

Rei could feel the intensity between the three others. Normally being a third wheel was terrible, but in this case, being a fourth was even worse. She moved to lead the group, but Naomi caught her arm. She whispered into Rei's ear "Please don't leave. You can't leave me here with these two." Naomi surveyed Rei's face and saw she'd been crying. Only one reason popped into her head, the only thing that caused tension in Rei's life… _Russell…_and realizing this, Naomi let her go.

Russ sat on his bed, his knees brought up to his chest, and buried his head in his lap. He had thought about what he'd written many times that night, dreading Rei's reaction. He hadn't slept that night, he'd been worrying so much. _Maybe if I remind her about it, she'll hate me more. Maybe she'll never forgive me now. That letter was such a stupid idea!_ He hated himself for writing that right now. He knew that she'd wake up and read it, and her anger would increase. That's really what he thought, and he waited for the screaming to start as she burst into his room.

Rei wasn't really sure what she felt. She didn't know whether or not she was angry or not. She knew neither whether to forgive him or to stop talking to him altogether. When she reached his door, she faltered. If she listened hard, she could hear his breathing was ragged, and raspy. She could hear his breath catch in his throat. He was worried about something, either that or he was crying. Her hand stopped on the knob, wondering if she should go in. She decided, and opened the door to his room.

She stood, framed in the doorway. He looked at her, unsure of whether to be happy or sad. He was speechless, as was she. Her expression was of uncertainty. He could see she was battling within herself whether to forgive him or not. He knew he had to help her. As she looked into his eyes, she knew he hadn't lied in the letter, but still she wasn't sure how to feel. He slipped his feet to the floor and stood up, the look in his eyes serious once more. This was the Russell she knew. Determined, single-minded. This was not the Russell who had written the letter. As he stepped forwards, she stood there, unable to move a muscle. He had no thoughts, he had given up on them. He vaguely recalled thinking that if he didn't do anything she would leave. He wouldn't let her leave. He walked up to her, and as she looked up into his eyes he knew what he needed to do. She could barely breathe. Let alone talking, or moving, or even thinking. She stood there, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. And she knew, knew that she had to forgive him. She sank into his embrace, leaning against him. It was over.

While their older siblings were busy displaying their feelings for each other, Alphonse and Fletcher, who had wandered into town, had planned out a less stressful afternoon. The boys had both wandered into the kitchen rather bleary-eyed after Naomi and Ed had left, and found that they were in dire need of a trip to the town for groceries. As the mismatched pair walked into the streets of town, their thoughts wandered back to what the hell their siblings were really up to. Alphonse broke the silence, as he usually did.

"Hey, Fletcher, when Colonel Mustang sent us over here, he mentioned some problem. Do you know what he was talking about?" Alphonse looked down at the blonde boy beside him, noting that he had indeed grown since they had last met.

"Yeah, its about the old lab on the hill." Fletcher pointed to the old mansion that had once belonged to the tyrant Mugear. "We've had reports of figures in black appearing there off and on. A woman with a red mark just below her collar bone, and another guy with crazy hair. One person described him as a palm tree, and said that his hair was green. There was one person who said that there was a stout lumbering guy with a shaved head with them, but once he started appearing, there started to be a death trend in the older population."

Alphonse froze. It sounded a lot like the homunculi; Lust, Envy, and Gluttony. But what interest would they have in a secluded old town like this? As Alphonse thought, a little boy who was chasing a Frisbee ran into the hulking suit of armor, sending both toppling over.

"Hey, watch where you're going mister." The little boy frowned at Alphonse before getting up and wandering over to where the Frisbee had landed after it had knocked Al's helmet off. "Here, silly." The young boy chucked the helmet back at Al, where it managed to hit Fletcher in the leg. Fletcher fell over beside Al, and as the young boy ran off with his Frisbee, the two younger brothers lay in the sand, laughing. (Though I wonder how a suit of armor can laugh with no head.)

Back at the house, Naomi was caught in the crossfire of the two boys' shouts. She had tuned them out long ago, and wearily had sunk into a chair. She had tried to leave once, but Ed and Kai wouldn't let her. Kai was being over-protective. He didn't want anything to happen to her. He liked her. Ed said some similar things, but the whole fight was entirely pointless. Naomi looked up, hearing her name. "We should just hear what Naomi thinks about it." Ed had told Kai. _She looks tired. But this has to be settled. We can't leave this hanging. _

Naomi looked at them both and said simply, "It's complicated. I need to think."

Kai looked at her seriously. "Something has to be done. Do you not feel anything? Don't you like one of us more?"

She looked from face to face, she could barely say anything. Looking past the boys, her mouth curved into a wide smile. She looked at the boys and said, "Oh, fight over me if you must. I told you I need time." Then, walking past the dumbfounded boys, muttered something that sounded a lot like 'Good for you, Rei.'

When Fletch had fixed Al's head back on, Al brushed off the sand, emptying out his hollow suit of armor. He then looked at Fletcher. "So, can we see the mansion?" Fletcher's face suddenly turned dark.

"I don't think that's a good idea." He said quietly. Al had never seen him so solemn. He needed to see it to fix it though. "The strange people have turned the mansion into a sort of, lair. The whole place has a weird feel to it now. I don't think you want to go."

"I don't care how weird it is. We have to get the others, and we have to go."

Back at Russell's house, Edward and Kai had agreed to postpone their argument. Partially for a bite to eat, and partially to give Naomi time to think. Kai had grabbed an apple from the fridge, while Ed had given up on the milk-ridden food and stormed out of the house. _Stupid Naomi, stupid Kai, stupid fucking hormones._ Edward followed a path he had taken multiple times through the dark, letting his feet lead him as he stormed through the streets; completely unaware of where he was headed. _Stupid MILK._ Ed was drawn from his thoughts as a Frisbee whizzed dangerously close to his head. He whirled around to yell, but found himself unable to make a noise.

"Sorry mister!" a young boy yelled as he darted out to grab the small disk. The boy looked up in shock, and turned to look at Ed. "Mister, you really, _really _don't wanna go near that house. My sister said she got _looked at_ by some green-haired palm tree guy." The little boy turned and pelted down the path shouting a farewell as he ran.

Ed shook his head and continued to wander up the hill, until he reached the iron-clad doors. He raised both hands, and as he pressed, the doors opened almost readily before him. _Envy huh? I'm almost looking forward to seeing the bastard again._ He wandered into the main foyer, and the doors swung closed behind him.

"Still just a puppet, aren't you _pipsqueak._" Envy's sugar coated throaty voice rang through the empty room as he hung upside down from the rafters, looking down.

"WHO YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD PASS FOR A CHIBI PUPPET?!?" Ed roared, his voice echoing through the halls. Envy grinned, his teeth glinting as his laughter rang in Ed's ears. "Come now, I think I should at least get a proper greeting from my favorite little chibi" Envy hopped down from his perch, landing in front of Ed. "I don't feel like fighting today; why don't you follow me into the lounge; we can chat." Envy strutted off into the hallway, glancing back at the dumbfounded blonde. _Well, stranger things have happened._ As the two walked off to "chat", Alphonse and Fletcher were walking back to the house, and Naomi and Kai moving their separate ways, Russell and Rei were left to mending the holes of their broken relationship. Rei and Russell finally parted as the front door opened to allow Al and Fletcher enter. The two older siblings wandered downstairs to meet the boys.

"Well, _shorty,_ what do you say?" Envy had fed the blonde a little _too_ much sugar in his coffee, as it would seem, and the boys found themselves on the carpet, with Envy hovering over top. The green-haired man didn't bother to wait for a reply and he undid the buckle on Ed's sweater, forcing it off, and pulling off his gloves as well.

"Hey, I never said yes, you pervert!" Ed growled. Envy didn't listen, and he proceeded to slip his hands under Ed's tank top. "I said stop it!" Ed growled, unable to move or lash away.

"My, my, what's with the oppression? You certainly seem _willing._" Envy emphasized his point by grabbing onto Ed's arousal rather roughly, causing the younger to call out. "Or is it that you'd rather your man have shorter hair and onyx eyes?" Envy hit the mark as he turned his features into the familiar colonel's. Ed's eyes widened, and he lost his voice to mumbles and stutters. Envy, masquerading as Roy Mustang, grinned like the gay bastard he was. He pulled off Ed's tank top and pulled the boy into a rough kiss, lowering his hips to the blondes. Ed moaned as he felt his own arousal rub against the "colonel's." The friction created was sending Ed's senses through the roof. Briefly he wondered if the colonel would be this _good._

As Ed lost himself in the heat and pleasure, Envy deftly removed his own skin-tight clothes, soon followed by Ed's. The short blonde found himself rock hard and completely ready to do just about anything with his "colonel." Envy pulled his toy up and growled at him roughly. "Here now, _Fullmetal._ Prove to me what you can do. _Service me._" In any normal circumstances, Ed would have whacked his raper senseless with his metal arm, but these were certainly not normal circumstances, and he needed to get rid of some sexual tension. Ed shoved the colonel down roughly, hovering down to his hips. He grabbed Envy's arousal roughly, pulling up and down, almost creating a rhythm before taking him into his mouth. Envy grinned between gasps as Ed followed his instincts, sucking hard while gripping rather tightly at the base. Envy reached down, tangling his hand in Ed's hair which had earlier been taken out of its braid.

Ed blew across the tip, while once again pulling up and down. He took him into his mouth once more before Envy climaxed, making Ed almost choke as he rather grudgingly swallowed. _What now?_ Envy pounced then, pinning the shorter man beneath him. "Now boy, it's _my turn._" Ed barely found time to protest as Envy thrust into him. The last thing Ed remembered about their meeting was that his ass would certainly be bugging him the next day.


	7. Slipping and Falling

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA O/Cs, Rei and Kai are mine, Naomi is Nao Roberts'.**

**A/N: Thank you to Nao Roberts for help with this chapter.**

Ed lay on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. He was in pain, but more so in ecstasy. He couldn't believe how this… this… there was no other word for it… god had come and given him hope when he had lost all semblance of it. He kept seeing, in the back of his mind, Naomi and Kai, and the pain would increase, but then he would remember Envy, and everything would be alright. He could hear the soft panting of the homunculus next to him, as he slowly got up to redress and quietly lay back down next to him. Ed also got up to redress and lay back on the floor, and slowly he fell asleep.

Rei and Russell let each other go, averting their eyes from one another. It was over, but the tension was still present. The history couldn't evaporate, but they could try. Russell sat down on his bed, and she leaned on the doorframe. They began to talk about… nothing in particular. The call came from downstairs. The ear splitting yell of "Russell!" rang through the hallways, traveling with ease up the stairs to the room. Rei looked over her shoulder, losing her footing on the floor. She tripped over the doorframe, and just before she hit the ground, Russell grabbed her wrist. Her face was inches from the ground, one wrist held by Russell, one hand clutching the doorframe. She felt if either let go she would keep falling, and she went with it as Russell pulled her up by the wrist. The mere force nearly dislocated her shoulder, as she found herself looking up into Russell's blue eyes, his hair dangling into her face, as he supported her with one arm under her back.

When they were both back up on their feet, Russell ran down to the main stairs, leaving Rei behind. Rei walked after him, looking much more dignified than the scrambling brother as he ran to his brother's call like a trained puppy. When she reached the hall across from Kai's door, she saw that Kai had retaken his place, lightning bolts of hate shooting every which way. He was waiting for Ed to return so they could finish their quarrel, and Rei slinked past him over to where Naomi was slowly and quietly, afraid that the slightest sudden movement or sound would set the boy off. She wouldn't take the silence for granted. As Naomi whirled around to greet Rei when she reached her, her long hair (that had been fastened into a braid earlier that day) whipped behind her and knocked over a small table. The resounding crash was joined by the screeching of the teenager.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT DAMN SHRIMP?!? HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN BACK AN HOUR AGO! HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE FULL_MINI_ ALCHEMIST TO GET GROCERIES?!?!"

Rei stomped over to her younger brother and swatted him over the head. "Calm down, already. Al and Fletcher just walked in; and by the sound of it, we may have a lead on the problem we were sent here about. At least one thing's going right." Rei turned on her heels and proceeded to the staircase.

Naomi stood, looking at Kai skeptically for a minute before saying, "You know, that was a nice twist. I've heard Fullmetal Pipsqueak before but never Full_mini._" She grinned, the mood evidently lightening as the boy before her laughed. She offered a hand to him then. "We should probably go check out what Fletcher and Alphonse have to say." Kai nodded, accepting the hand.

Fletcher hurried through the doorway, yelling his brother's name as he ran to the stairs. He didn't go up, but he had already run across the carpet. He heard someone stumble from upstairs, then the footsteps of his brother as Russell came down. He eyed his brother's worried face for a moment before scolding. "Fletcher! How many times have I told you not to walk--"

"Not to walk on the carpet with my shoes on; I know, I know. But _that's_ not important brother! We figured out the source of the problem! And they're all at Mugear's old Mansion!" Russell's eyes widened as he processed the information. "We went there and we saw Ed walking into the mansion. We stayed there for a while but he never came out!" Fletcher's expression was complete worry. Alphonse stood in the doorway, as if urging everyone to come with them.

Russell looked stricken, but calmly gathered himself before announcing, to nobody in particular, that they were going to the mansion. The house was in complete mayhem for the next ten minutes as they all hurried to get ready to leave. Kai had to simmer down, with some help from Naomi, and Rei hadn't really done anything that morning. By the time everyone was ready, Fletcher was almost bouncing out the door with anticipation.

Ed awoke to the most curious circumstance. Lying beside him, Envy was propped up on his elbow, stroking Ed's blond locks. His smile was sweet, not seductive. Ed almost jumped at the sight of him, but eased into the feeling. They lay like that for a while, and eventually got up to eat. They had only been together for the morning, but had slept most of the time. Lust and Gluttony, when first seeing Ed among them, had seemed guarded, ready to attack. But when Envy reassured them that it was unlikely that Ed would attack them, the two homunculi relaxed. It was if they were all friends, with the same bitter feelings towards the group back at the Tringams'.

The band of friends traveled to the edge of Xenotime, and to the mansion, not quite as silent as was preferable. Naomi and Kai weren't talking, but they might as well have been the way they were acting. Fletcher and Alphonse, in all their worry, were leading the way, walking too quickly for the rest, while at the rear of the group Rei and Russell kept a running conversation. When they reached the gates, they fell silent, the only sound the slight panting of Rei, who had, for some unknown reason, struggled to keep her strength up during the journey. They split up, Naomi at the back, Russell at the front, Kai on one side, and Fletcher on another. Alphonse had located the hole Ed had made during 'Operation Mole Hole' years ago, and Rei had climbed up on top of the building, so as to have a bird's eye view and only fight when necessary. They entered the building at a signal from Rei, as she was their eyes, simultaneously and without hesitation.

Rei had given the signal based on the fact that everyone was upstairs, so Naomi felt no reason to feel unsafe on the ground floor. She burst into the kitchen room, and found not the expected three plates, but four. She felt a sense of relief that Ed was being kept alive, even if it was for a bad reason. She was almost through the kitchen when she heard someone on the stairs. She stopped dead in her tracks and whipped her head around, smacking her hair into the cabinet. The loud thud made her jump, and she slipped on the newly cleaned and slippery floor. As she went down, she let out a muffled scream and landed hard on her right elbow. Her automail lost a screw, and her elbow became inoperable. As she slowly lifted herself up, she realized how useless an automail arm was if she couldn't control the elbow. She cursed under her breath and peeked around the wall. She heard a faint scream from above, and turned her ace up at the ceiling.

Russell opened the front door slowly, but its hinges were so out of use they creaked loudly. He stepped through the threshold and tripped on the mat. It hadn't been there when he worked there, he wondered how much else had changed. He walked across the wide foyer and opened the windows for Kai and Fletcher before proceeding up the stairs. The third step creaked so he and Fletcher skipped it but Kai, unfamiliar with the territory, stepped on it heavily and the creak echoed through the empty hallway. He turned as he heard a loud thud and the crash of metal on wood. He heard a soft curse and saw a familiar ace poke around the wall from the kitchen. He turned his head at the sound of a scream from above. The boys heard a scream from somewhere up and to the right, and whipped their heads around.

Alphonse traveled to where the Red Water stream had once been, and down the passage to the door he knew led to the lab. When he entered the lab, he found it in complete disarray, nothing had moved since he had last been there. He could see, just beyond the decaying tree, the array that Fletcher had scribbled to help them escape, and he pushed open the heavy door. He traveled up a small staircase to the second floor, and went through another wooden door. He was in the main hall now, and could just see the main staircase, just hear the thuds and crashes from below.

Rei was careful not to disturb anyone as she removed a large section of the roof. It seemed she removed the right shingles, because underneath was a set of windows through which she could see Lust, Gluttony, Envy, and Edward sitting on couches talking. They seemed content with their situation. Rei gave the signal, and then slowly and carefully removed one of the windowpanes. She landed on a soft cushion, none of the homunculi noticed her. She vaguely saw Edward's eye flick over to her and then back to his companions. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but she stopped dead when she saw them get up and walk down the hall. She heard several doors open and then close, only Ed was left on the couches. She quietly crept up to him, prepared to surprise him, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, eyes wide, and she felt a cooling sensation. She let a scream escape her as she felt Lust's nails pierce her skin. She looked at Ed, pleading, as she hit the floor, everything going black. He didn't look sorry.


	8. Is This Mercy?

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA O/Cs, Rei and Kai are mine, Naomi is Nao Roberts'.**

**A/N: Thank you to Nao Roberts for help with this chapter.**

Russell heard the scream as if from somebody else's ears. He knew who it came from, and also knew she was hurt as he heard the thud of her falling to the floor. He knew Ed was there, he had heard him talking loudly and obnoxiously to Envy before the scream. He hadn't done anything stop it. Russell felt the blood boil and rise in his veins. How could Ed betray them like this?

Fletcher could feel the anger pulsing from his brother. He slowly walked back down the stairs and began to search the first floor. He got as far as the den when he saw Ed's pocket watch lying on the floor. He picked it up and was about to pocket it when he heard the soft sounds of struggle coming from the stairs. He heard the clash of metal on wood, heard his brother yelling at Kai for help. He heard Naomi calling his name and went running. Naomi was inching her way up the staircase, trying not to get in between Russell and Envy, while Kai was trying to help Russell fight. Fletcher ran up the stairs to help Al, who was trying to fight of Gluttony. Gluttony was slowly but surely closing in on Al, a manic look in his eye as he thrashed his jaw at the struggling armor threateningly. Fletcher quickly etched an array into the railing and was able to subdue Gluttony, who was busy gnawing on the thick bark of a tree as Fletcher went to help Al.

Rei awoke on the hard floor of the mansion. There was a cool cloth on her forehead, and her wounds had been treated. She couldn't understand why she wasn't dead. They had had the perfect opportunity to kill her but… could the sins really have compassion? She raised her head an inch to look around. She saw Ed standing at the doorway, his back to her. _He's standing guard… I'm not allowed to leave._ She realized that she was only there for information gathering purposes. Her pocket watch was lying on the floor about six feet away. She tried to prop herself up on her elbows, but the pain was so immense she felt like her side would split open. Her side actually was splitting open; the wounds were becoming fresh again. She let a gasp of pain escape and Ed was by her side immediately, helping her. She was struck by his willingness to help her. But his expression was icy, businesslike. She knew he was helping her on orders, not because he wanted to.

Naomi watched the battle begin before her eyes as she desperately tried to get up. Her automail was practically useless, but she was able to modify it slightly and alchemically to be of some use. In a flash of light, it was now able to move, but slowly, and it was still utterly useless aside from a shield. She inched her way up the staircase; past Russell, Kai, and Envy; past Alphonse, Fletcher, and Gluttony; and to the room where she heard Rei gasp in pain. _Bingo,_ she thought.

She pressed her back up against the wall and peered into the room, watching as Edward attended to Rei's newly opened wounds. She could tell, even though she couldn't see his face, that he was moving as per the orders of the dark-clad woman on the far side of the room who was staring at Rei with malice. As she crouched and adjusted her weight she caused an old floorboard to creak, making Ed go rigid.

"Damn, I thought they held everyone off." The woman drawled, contradicting her statement with a tone of absolute uncaring. "Edward, will you deal with the rat?" The woman swiftly moved over to where Ed was, relieving him of his duty.

Ed nodded and Naomi knew there was no use in hiding. She stepped into the doorway.

"Ed…god, Ed, what were you thinking?" Ed's face remained an impenetrable mask of uncaring. He did not speak, only grunted as he moved into a physical stance. He was already judging her uselessness, she realized, and evidently would not go so far as to kill; 'Just break a few bones,' as he had used to say. She eyed her surroundings briefly, noting what to avoid and what to use, before turning her vision back to Ed. "You…we trusted you." Ed snarled and lunged, hitting a weak point in her human shoulder. Naomi hissed and countered with a blow to his stomach with a strong kick. Ed was winded and Naomi, although hurt as well, lunged at him head on. Ed dodged to the side, where her human fist earned a satisfying blow to his shoulder, only to fracture a finger. She hissed and pulled away; but not fast enough.

Rei lay helpless on the uncomfortable floor as she felt Ed helping her cuts. She couldn't move for the pain. She heard the creak of a floorboard, and the deliberate drawl of a woman somewhere in the room. The next thing she knew, Ed was gone. There was an extremely pretty woman tending to her now. She neither wanted Rei dead nor alive and could care less what happened to her after they got the information they wanted. The woman tucked her long hair behind her ear, revealing a tattoo on her left side that had been previously hidden by her hair. Rei's eyes widened in amazement as the Homunculus she knew had to be Lust tended to her wounds. She was not scared, and although she was wary she wasn't overly cautious either. Her life was in Lust's hands, and all she could do was let what was going to happen, happen. She could merely lay there on the floor as Lust aided her, rather more roughly than Ed had, doing the work coarsely and hastily. She was pulled up by the woman, made to stand. As she stood, the pain subsided. She couldn't understand how pain so severe had managed to vanish in moments, until she looked beside where she had been lying. There was an empty bottle, traces of Red Water still there. She had been forced to drink it, she realized, but then understood the drastic pain. It came to her everyday, and only lasted about five minutes. Everyday, after that drink of the cursed water…

Fletcher and Al certainly couldn't fight much longer. Gluttony hadn't tried to eat them yet. It was incomprehensible. Alphonse was fighting recklessly, but the two younger siblings were being cornered by the fat homunculus. Fletcher was facing the man, but he didn't have much let in him. He was so worn out all he could do was watch his comrade being beaten inch by inch. He could see the greedy shine in the eyes of the man, but Gluttony wasn't delivering the deathblows. He was subduing them, making sure…making sure of what? That they couldn't fight anymore?

Russell was too distracted by the sounds from upstairs. Kai was fighting Envy alone, but Envy kept going for Russell. His mind was in two places. One part of his mind was on defeating Envy, but the other, rather larger, part, was wondering what was going on upstairs, who was fighting, and what was going on with Rei…

As Envy dodged another blow from the brown haired one, _Kai_, he smirked. They couldn't kill him anyways… "You interrupted us. What did we do to you?" He was indignant. He had been having a perfectly good conversation with Lust, and Ed, and Gluttony, and had been very rudely interrupted indeed. He looked down at the blonde one. _Handsome… very handsome. He reminds me of Edward… _ He looked back at Kai. He was weary, broken down and panting. He kept urging the blond one, Russell, to help him, but this Russell was looking up the stairs, to the sounds of struggle overhead. _Is he… could he possibly be… worried about that girl? _Envy was wrenched from his musing by a successful blow to the side of the face from Kai. He pulled away, cracked his neck, and smirked. "You can't wound me with that strategy."

Meanwhile, Naomi found herself in a corner, between the walls and Ed's automail sword. She took in shallow breaths, avoiding the side of the blade only just. She turned her head away, allowing herself more room to breathe and speak. "Ed…what are you doing?"

The blonde scowled. "Not killing you. On orders"

Naomi's eyes widened. "Ed, is this all about me and Kai?" Ed scowled more, but said nothing. "Ed, I…had no idea before…"

Ed growled and began drawing lightly onto her left cheek with one finger, after he made it into a point. "I have no way of knowing whether or not you're lying…" He trailed off, listening to her make little noises. "Don't clench your teeth; you'll ruin it." Naomi grudgingly obliged. When Ed was done, he licked the blood off of the joint and took her left hand. "Fractured a bone, did we?" He eyed her hand carefully before laying it in her lap. "I better go save your friends." He moved to get up when a hand shot out and held him down.

Naomi growled. "Ed! What about your brother! You SWORE you wouldn't forget. You promised him…and what about Roy? I know you're gay for him." She smirked and let go, slumping against the wall. "Go ahead, it's not my place to tamper with your life. Go screw around." Ed looked at her, his eyes wide, trying to understand what she was saying. He heard Lust from the other room, and went to make sure Gluttony and Envy weren't going too far. Naomi sat down in the corner, leaning in the crevice and breathing deeply. She couldn't see the door from here. Her head lolled on her chest as she dove into unconsciousness. She had nothing left.

Rei could see Lust was shocked. She hadn't expected her to stand, surely. She had probably expected her to fall. She had no idea how little the Red Water affected her. It took her back…

When Rei had last been in Xenotime, when Russell had been testing the Red Water on her, she had been so sick, she'd almost died. She had fallen asleep one night and woken up at the Gate. It had been a weird experience, she'd been aware for all of it, and it remained a memory. It was a vivid memory. She remembered being scared of the Truth. She remembered wanting to go back, but not returning to the world. She needed to be stronger, but she felt strange. She felt like she couldn't go through the Gate, she felt like someone was trying to keep her alive. She waited at the border for what seemed like an eternity. But the eternity ended with a young girl. Rei had been about to go through the Gate, give up. But this girl appeared and gave her hands to the Truth. At that moment, Rei had seen a desperate glimmer of hope. When the girl was traveling back to the world, the Truth had let her go, and had finally relinquished its grasp on her. She had returned. It was the weirdest experience. She had thought at first that it was all merely some fluke. But then she remembered the Red Water. The Stone material had tainted her body. She had no extraordinary power, but she thought the Red Water immunity was what had allowed her to leave the Gate. All she had was the willpower to escape the Gate. She had wanted to cross it, but she couldn't let herself. She felt she needed to be stronger. So she took some Red Water with her when she left Xenotime and learned how to make it. She made it in large quantities and drank it every morning. It poisoned her, but it made her tainted body even stronger. The five minutes of excruciating pain every morning was little price to pay for an alchemic aid. She realized that this was what truly made her stronger.

She remembered this as she faced Lust. She wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. She needed to avoid the fingernails. She anticipated Lust's actions, but she had underestimated her speed. Lust's nails curved to follow Rei's swift movements, scratching her and causing her to lose her balance. Rei's shoulder hit the cold floor hard, and Lust kept coming. Rei tried to prop herself up, but her shoulder was too painful. The nails were coming closer, and Rei had no way out.

Envy had managed to wear out Kai so much that, even if he tried, he couldn't hit Envy hard. He could barely walk up the steps to get to him. He cringed as he approached the arrogant homunculus, and fell against the banister. Russell was about to step in and fight when Ed appeared at the top of the steps. "Ed! You have to help us!" He called, dodging a blow from Envy. His face fell when he saw that Rei and Naomi weren't with him. "Where's Rei? Is she okay? And Naomi?" He was confused. What was going on? Envy smirked as Russell called at Ed. Ed looked around and calmly walked down the stairs to where they were fighting.

"Naomi, will be fine… eventually." He looked thoughtful for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "Rei, on the other hand, may not be joining us. I wouldn't know." He thought about Lust, and how far she would go for information. If Rei resisted, she could die. Ed went over to where Russell was standing, and faced Envy. He turned his automail into a sword, and clenched his teeth. Russell was glad Ed could help them now. He'd seen what Envy had done to Kai, and even though he was stronger than Kai, he knew he couldn't face Envy alone.

Fletcher and Alphonse were helpless. Fletch was lying in the corner, to hurt to stand, and Alphonse was backed up against a wall. He could see there was no way to escape, but he still tried the last thing he could, alchemy. He etched an array on the wall behind him, but Gluttony was no fool. He reached around the armor with his neck and fat head, and ate through the array. "There'll be no alchemy. He looked rather disappointed that he couldn't eat them. Al didn't even see his brother appear at the stairs, his view blocked by the fat man before him.

Ed ran at Envy, but was pushed back. Russell could see the manic gleam in Edward's eyes as he walked back up to where he was. Envy walked down to him at the same time. Russ was forced back against the banister. _It was all a bluff. Edward was working for them all along. _ He felt the cold automail pressed up against the soft flesh of his neck, as he sat on the steps looking up at the traitor for once.


	9. After

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA O/Cs, Rei and Kai are mine, Naomi is Nao Roberts'.**

**A/N: Thank you to Nao Roberts for help with this chapter.**

Russell could feel the flat steel pushing harder against his flesh, the edge of the blade bluntly biting his flesh. The grins on the faces of his oppressors were wide, their glee crude and maniacal. It was ironic, how Ed had once fought Russell here in this very mansion, and now they fought again, with higher stakes. Ed let out a loose laugh. "There are no gunmen to save you this time, Tringam." Russ could see the muscles stretching to widen the grin on Ed's face. He looked over his shoulder, eyes widening at the sight. His brother, he could barely see him helpless on the floor. Alphonse, pinned against the wall. The only one missing was Kai. Then he saw him. Just behind Envy, Kai was struggling to stand. The shine of vigour was back in his eye. He had strength…

There was blood everywhere. Naomi could hear the screaming. Complete chaos surrounded her. "Mother…" She whispered desperately, the eyes of the woman before her, a startling blue, shone with tears. The lids drooped and closed, her mother was gone. "Mother…" She whispered again, her eyes moving over the blood streaks on the walls. She could hear the sounds of screaming and crashing fading as she let herself go.

Naomi opened her eyes, feeling immense pain as she remembered that night. The night all she had left had been taken from her. She went down on all fours, trying to support herself. There, on the white rug, streaks of blood identical to those in her dream. She looked up and saw Lust, crouching over a lifeless Rei. The walls were splattered with blood, as if someone had been flicking the walls with red paint. She let no sound escape as she crawled away from the doorway, and out into the main stairwell. On the floor below her, Gluttony was subduing Al and Fletcher. She saw Ed appear on the stairs and watched him corner not Envy, but Russell. Kai was lying on the stairs, his chest heaving raggedly for air. She saw him struggle to stand. She watched as he lashed out at Edward, and screamed in warning.

"Edward!!" He could hear the call clearly, sharply. All eyes turned to Naomi, crouching at the top of the stairs. He couldn't understand. _He betrayed us… Surely she can't want me not to punish him for it!_ Kai halted his movement moments before impact with the side of Ed's head. He looked up at her startled, and Envy caught him round the face. He was knocked to the ground, and felt the homunculus stepping on him. "Edward what are you doing?!"

Ed looked at Naomi, a tear welling up in his eye. He blinked it away and stared, stony-faced up to her. All eyes were either on him or her. Russell clenched his teeth, wishing Ed would drop his guard, or at least his automail. Gluttony seemed momentarily distracted, but for an entirely different reason.

Naomi felt the breath catch in her throat as she heard the whisper from behind her. "Hello, little girl." Lust gripped her shoulder, smacking her across the face. Naomi felt the stinging in her cheek as the blood rushed to the area, but she thought nothing of the slap…the words were still ingrained in her mind. She turned around menacingly. "Did you just call me…_little_ girl?!?" Naomi went to punch the taller woman, but quickly brought up her knee and winded her instead. As Lust staggered about, out of breath, Naomi grinned.

Naomi turned to face the other homunculi. "I've got to hand it to your friend over there though," Naomi began, jerking a thumb behind her in Lust's general direction, "Knocked some sense into me. But now you guys have dug your own graves." She smirked, her hair covering most of her face, giving her the appearance of a maniacal killer. "I guess you were curious." All eyes were still focused on Naomi; even those who were previously trying to escape now sat in stunned silence. "What's the main thing that the Gate Children and I have in common?"

Edward's eyes widened in shock. "Violet eyes…" he murmured in response.

"Very good. But that's only number one. Number two," she clapped her hands; giving the appearance of attempting a transmutation, but then reached into the shadows cast by the dim, almost non-existent lighting. The arm disappeared where it touched the shadows. "Question: How can you hit an opponent you can't see, in an environment where they can't be detected?" her body disappeared right before their eyes. Gluttony heard her voice next.

"Answer: You can't."

Before Gluttony's body could respond, his body was hit by innumerable blows and cast into the wall across from him with enormous force. There was a glimmer where her body appeared briefly before she vanished again. Envy soon found himself catapulted into a wall. Ed was wrenched away from Russell and tossed aside. Kai just stood, completely dumbfounded at the situation before him. Who would have known that she had this kind of power?

Naomi's body flickered into view again; but something wasn't quite right about her. Her eyelids were half closed, her step was slow and staggered; she was a horrible mess. Naomi couldn't even travel two steps before her body collapsed in on itself; she looked like a puppet on strings being dropped by its user. Kai rushed to her immediately.

"Naomi? Naomi!" Kai supported her body and checked for a pulse, sighing in relief when he found it. Alphonse emerged from the corner with Fletcher held carefully in his iron arms. Russell's brow furrowed at the sight. His friends, his brother; all barely making it out alive, and all because of the State Alchemist, the same one he had wanted to be just like. He grabbed onto Edward's human shoulder forcefully, and pulled the older boy around to face him.

"Edward. Look at what you've done; to your friends, to your brother! Do you remember the last time you visited here? I looked up to you! I tried to be like you! And look at the kind of role model you've become! Is this what you want your brother to be? Is it?!" Russell shoved Edward aside and ran to relieve Alphonse of his younger brother.

Edward stared at the scene; feeling like he wasn't quite there. It all had felt like a dream up until here; and now, he wasn't quite sure whose side he was on, and more importantly; what he was fighting for. He heard Envy call to him from the top of the stairs. "Let's get going, Edward." Ed took one last look at the scene before following the green-haired homunculus up the stairs and out the hole in the roof that Rei had made previously; watching as Lust carried the limp girl away ahead of him. _What have I done?_

Russell lay Fletcher down on the steps as he began to cough. Fletcher soon calmed, and he blinked his eyes into focus. Kai brought Naomi down too, and the two of them, along with Alphonse, waited for the two to regain strength. They sat for hours in silence, occasionally making small comments to each other. Russell and Kai were still fuming at Ed's betrayal. Naomi was eventually able to walk on her own, Fletcher having woken fully a few hours before. They began moving back to the front door of the mansion, Fletcher trying to talk his brother out of the rage that blocked out all other thought. When Russell finally came to, he looked around, confused. "Where's…" Russell looked stricken.

He ran up the stairs and throughout the entire mansion. When he returned to the group, his face was chalk white. The colour rushed back too quickly, flushing his face in anger. "How could you not have known?!" He screamed, making them all jumped. "Rei, she's gone!"


	10. A Red Herring

**A/N:**** I'm BACK! And better than ever too. Be proud of me. This chappie is ALL mine, without Nao Roberts, or GoatMuffin (although I do thank Nao for letting me continually borrow Naomi.) **_**Remember, reviewers are worshipped!**_

**Disclaimer:**** Does Envy turn into a likeness of the Colonel, purely for the entertainment of the now cough gay cough Eddy Elric? I think not. I still don't own them. (Rei and Kai mine, bitch. Naomi Nao Roberts')**

'Rei, she's gone!' The hysteria and anger in Russell's voice shook the hallway dangerously. His face, flushed red, fixed all assembled with an accusatory glance. 'We've been here for hours ... how could you _not_ have noticed?' He rounded on Kai. 'Your own _sister?_' He shot the group a look of deep disgust. Kai's face reflected something like mingled shock, and resentment at being yelled at for something like this. Naomi looked drained, scared and hurt, her gaze reproachful. Fletcher had never seen Russell so enraged, and so looked up at his metal doppleganger, who displayed no emotion. Russ sensed that he was getting nowhere, and retired to one of the unmarked rooms -- one place where the fighting had not ensued.

Kai stayed by Naomi. She was still bleary-eyed, too tired to do anything. They all were. They needed to rest, and yet the pressing issue of Ed's abandonment and Rei's disappearance loomed over the group like the blade of a guillotine, poised to fall. Fletcher got up weakly and went to Alphonse, trying to alchemically bandage the extensive damage done to the armour. At least the blood seal had not been scratched in the pandemonium. Naomi lay there for what felt like days, regaining her strength.

Eventually, Naomi rose to her feet. Russell still hadn't returned since his outburst. Kai tried to call her back, but she was able to shake him off in the tense silence that had claimed the manor. She climbed up the stairs and entered once again into the blood spattered room. The flecks on the wall had dried a deep crimson, playing a twisted pattern on the plain wallpaper. It could have been decorative, if it wasn't so cruelly administered. She could see, on the carpet, a noticeable blank spot -- a spot where the blood had not tainted the finishings. This must have been where Rei had lain, lifeless, at the mercy of the Homunculus Lust. She stepped into the room, engulfed in the negative energies pulsing from floor to ceiling. There was a draft from the hole in the roof -- night had fallen, bring the crisp autumn night air into the house. _At least it isn't raining._

Naomi looked around the room once again. There was a small bottle on the floor, with a trace of pinkish liquid inside. She sniffed the top of the bottle -- it was not poison. Curious, that it should be here. She needed to know what it was. It didn't look particularly dangerous. In her weakened state, her mind could not function properly, and she tipped the bottle into her mouth, letting the minute amount drop onto her tongue. The spot where the liquid had made contact with the skin burned like a thousand suns. The cool, fiery liquid burned as it ran into her throat. It wasn't necessarily painful -- not at first. The Red Water began to coarse through her system. Then came the pain. The blinding, white-hot pain that made her knees buckle. She bit back tears, trying to fight off the pain that she knew would overtake her. From across the hall, all that could be heard was the faint tinkle of breaking glass, and the distant thud of Naomi as she crashed to the floor. From below, the sounds were stifled, not heard at all.

Russ looked up at the sound of breaking glass. He didn't think much of it until he heard the dull thud of a human body hitting the floor. In a flash, he was darting towards the room.

He stopped dead in the doorway. The walls of the room were spattered with dried, crimson blood. Lying in the center of the room was the shaking figure of Naomi, a broken glass bottle lying next to her. He knelt down beside her. She hadn't passed out, but the pain was enough to subdue her, restricting her movement. He picked up the remains of the bottle, eyeing the last trace of the substance within before crushing the remains of the bottle in a tight fist. 'Red Water...' Naomi had stopped struggling, already the pain was subsiding. She heard these two words as she stopped wriggling and looked up at Russ' guarded silver-blue eyes quizically. He noticed her expression. 'Red Water. Unclean water that taints the body and poisons the mind. In large doses, it's toxic. Even just breathing it in.' He looked around the room, and Naomi was able to prop herself up on her left elbow.

'The bottle was empty, and this is where they had Rei.' His eyes snapped to her at this point. 'They must have made her drink it. _All_ of it.' Russell looked more worried than Naomi felt. He stood up unexpectedly, his hand raining crimson droplets of blood onto the carpet. 'Russ!' Naomi cried out when she saw the tide of red. 'You're bleeding.' He looked down at his hand. He hadn't noticed. The pain paled in comparison to the discovery before them. He opened his hand, carefully removing every shard of glass and wrapping it roughly with a bandage from the corner of the room. A bandage from the kit Ed had used to help Rei.

Russ and Naomi came down the stairs to join the other three teens. They both sat on the steps, facing their companions. Russ spoke first. 'We have to go. As soon as we possibly can.'

'Do we even know where they are?' Kai looked skeptical. He was never one to hope, and the immediate loss of his step-sister had done nothing to change that. He remained as pessimistic and impassive as ever. 'What's the point in going on a wild goose chase?'

Naomi and Russ exchanged glances. Ultimately, it was Naomi who answered. 'The point? The point is to save your sister, or have you forgotten about her?' Her voice was filled with contempt. She had only known Rei a short while, but a short while was enough. 'Not only that, but we have to save Ed.' Kai was about to protest, to reiterate the point that it was Ed who had betrayed them, not the other way around. It seemed as if Naomi had read his mind, however, for she quickly interrupted. 'We have to save Ed from himself.' She looked around at the four boys, expecting one of them to challenge her, but none did. 'Next problem. We're all weak and tired. If we go now, it's suicide.' The boys nodded their heads in agreement. She held up her right arm. 'And I'm no use to you with broken automail. I have no control over it.' The arm waved limply, swinging at the dodgy elbow.

Fletcher and Alphonse remained pensive on the floor. They would agree with whatever Russell decided. Kai remained speechless on the floor. He was too tired to be irritable. Russ broke the silence after carefully scrutinizing the automail. 'I think I can help you. It would be a quick fix, nothing permanent... but it might be enough.'

'And as for where to find them?' Kai spoke.

Russ stared off into space again. 'Red Water ...' Fletcher looked up quickly. 'We'll just go where there's Red Water.'


	11. Planning planning setbacks

The next few days were those of intense planning and careful calculation. Alphonse, Fletcher, and Kai had ventured back to the Tringham house to fetch everyone's suitcases at the order of Russell, who was feverishly working on at least four things at once. Naomi was still in too much pain to travel, so that left everyone else to do the work. Fletcher and Alphonse later had busied themselves by practicing in the man-made crater in front of the old, abandoned quarry, drawing faster and more furiously than ever before. Thousands of thoughts were running through Alphonse's head: _Did Edward really know what he had done? Was he brainwashed, or upset? Would he turn out like his brother, a betrayer? What would he do when he saw his brother again?_ Alphonse drowned out his thoughts with alchemy – the crackling of raw energy suffocating the only senses he possessed. Fletcher was, on the other hand, a little eager for the practice. Though he was not keen on facing Alphonse, of all people, as he would surely lose, he had wanted to spar both physically and alchemically for some time now, to hone his skills. He also wanted to, most importantly, impress and maybe even surpass his brother in skill and technique. It was a personal competition, as he did not truly want to compete with his brother; he never could. But it was always a decent goal.

Russell was a man of action in these times. He had restored Naomi's automail to something more functional than it had been before, and in a time that would make even Pinako jealous. She had thanked him warmly and, to test the workmanship, clapped her hands and disappeared into the walls. _Edward,_ she thought, as her mind and body travelled through the wall and into the night. _I…I wish you could hear me right now. I had no idea. I __didn't!__ I tried to make you like me years ago, but it never worked! You liked Winry. Oh, Winry, that fucking blonde slut. I don't know __what__ you fucking saw in her. Edward, I'll fix this; I swear it._

Russell blinked as Naomi disappeared. He shook his head, knowing he ought to get used to her power, and sighed. His vulnerable state of observance lead him tumbling headlong into wistful thoughts of Rei, and how she must be in pain. Things had just been turning up again, and once again something had come between him and the woman he had grown to love. He silently vowed that they would have their moment, and it would be soon. He walked up the stairs, deep in thought, to pack his bags as the others had surely done.

Kai was more temperamental than ever. How dare Edward come between him and his chance with Naomi! He slammed his suitcase closed in anger, falling helplessly onto his back on the bed. And what was worse was that Naomi had barely shown him any attention since their ordeal in his room. And he had wanted so badly to taste her; to please her, to hear her moan has he had only a day or two before. He closed his eyes, biting his lip in anger, fighting the impulse to shout out an angry roar.

* * *

The problem child wasn't doing as well as he had been before. His instinctual thoughts were dying down now, and he wanted to see Naomi more than ever. He wanted to run his hands along her body; through her long endless locks of hair, along those tiny perky breasts, across her perfect frame and down to her jutting hips. And lower, to be inside of her, to breach what he hoped was still sacred and untouched, if Kai hadn't gotten to it first. He spat on the floor of their new hideout as he thought of Kai. _Dirty little freak_, he thought, a look of irrepressible anger crossing his face to which even Envy, who sat with him, found himself shivering from.

"Something on your mind?" he drawled, his violet eyes probing the golden hatred across from him.

"Nothing important." Edward spat back. _Fuck you_, his eyes screamed. _I hate you for deceiving me. I hate you for pretending to be someone, for feeding me what I didn't end up needing. And most of all, I __hate__ you for caring!_

Envy, blissfully ignoring this stream of liquid fire flowing from Edwards's eyes, probed deeper still. "Worried about them? Your betraying, cold-hearted, lust filled 'allies'?"

Edward could feel the cold needles pierce his heart with how Envy had phrased his question. It did feel like Kai had betrayed him, but to lust was only human; he knew. He had let Envy into his body, to desecrate him as no one else had, and in the guise of a superior! His mind wandered to his research. He felt like a Spartan warrior; trained from birth by countless trials forced onto him to make him stronger, and now he was feeling homosexually for his superior; his mentor. Edward shook the thought. Roy Mustang was just that; a dirty, scheming superior who would almost certainly never have Edward that way. It had been a stupid fantasy, and he had given into Envy for it; betrayed Naomi for it, and now he had to fix his mistakes.

"Go away." he huffed, glaring profusely at Envy. "Just. Go. Away."

"Alright, alright! Calm down, shrimp, I'll give you some space." His eyes were amethyst jewels, glowing with mirth, but all he saw in them were Naomi's eyes, cold and unforgiving, as he had etched the symbol that had come to mean sinner onto her cheek as deep as he dared; the snake intertwined with the cross, wings and a crown floating above it, as on his teacher's collarbone and his brother's armor…and his coat.

* * *

Russell retreated upstairs, to what little of the library was left. He pulled out volume after volume – atlases, geographical reports, chemical breakdowns, even old journals – and continued his search for the ever elusive Red Water. He knew what to look for; he knew the effects of Red Water on humans very well. Better than most, he would venture, but not better than all… no, not better than Rei. The thought tormented him during the days of rest, the days of preparation when he slaved over details every minute, determined not to fail.

His thoughts were interrupted as the silent figure of Naomi came to join him. She sat across from him, watching his movements carefully, waiting for some signal to speak. He glanced over the last paragraph on the page briefly, and then looked up, inviting her to begin. She opened her mouth, unsure of how to start. Finally, she settled on a simple question. "When do we leave?"

Russ sighed, glancing over the numerous maps spread out on the table. "Whenever I find that bloody water. Soon. Maybe tonight." He regarded her features carefully, watched as uncertainty, indecision and worry crossed her eyes, no longer focussed on him, but instead on a corner of the table. His expression softened slightly, his rough tone smoothing over as he pushed aside his own determination for a moment. "Unless that's too soon…"

Naomi could see how much it pained him to wait. "No, no, don't worry about it." She stood, rather hastily. "I'll let you work." Her eyes remained fixed on one part of the map, on the vast expanse of yellow stretching across half of one map and off the table where the excess paper hung. She continued to scrutinize it blankly from certain angles, trying to read the word stretching across it, still obscured by Russell's fist on the table. She paused a minute by the edge of the table before departing, the image of the map burned into her brain.

Russell couldn't understand why she had lingered. He held his gaze downwards, scanning the books, the maps, everything on the table, maintaining his composure. He didn't want to yell at her to leave him alone. He really didn't. He let out a sigh of relief when she finally retreated, and resumed his feverish page-turning. _Epidemic. Sickness. Death._ The three main signs kept running through his head. It was enough to drive any man mad, and soon enough the frustration boiled over. He swept a hand over the tabletop in a deft movement, knocking the majority of papers and books aside. His hands slammed down on the table as he stood, leaning onto them, staring furiously down at the roughened wood below him. He was losing it.

* * *

Naomi heard Russell shove the books from his table, being just outside the door when he lost his temper. She had read I---al on the map; _Ishbal_. She was trying to figure out why that name seemed so important to her, but couldn't put a finger on it. She merged with the wall and ventured to Kai's room. From her place within the wall, she saw Kai changing, and watched him remove his shirt, his muscles flexing. What did she want? She sat inside the wall, and thought, making sure she wouldn't fall asleep. There were dangerous repercussions – namely death and dismemberment – if she fell asleep there. She thought hard. If she didn't do anything now, Kai would get over this and she could have Edward…if Ed was still alive. If she did something now, she risked Kai being mad at her for the rest of their relationship if she came onto him now and went for Edward once they rescued him. She watched as Kai took off his pants and tossed them on the floor with his shirt, throwing himself thoughtlessly on the bed in his boxers.

She hoped to god he didn't want to masturbate right now.

* * *

Alphonse ran to collect his helmet from the ground. "Nice shot Fletcher!" he exclaimed, walking back towards him while placing the helmet atop his head.

"Yeeishh," Fletcher shuddered. "I wish you wouldn't talk without your head on, it's still really weird."

Alphonse sighed. His body was a hollow shell, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Sorry Al…" Fletcher realised the weight of his comment and bit his lip. "Uh, can we head back now? I'm a little tired."

Alphonse truly wished that he could nod, because that's what he would have done. Instead, he actually had to speak. "Sure Fletch. Sure."

The pair of boys began walking back to the huge foreign mansion they were living in until they could set off for wherever Edward and Reichel were being held captive. Both boys found themselves staring at the stars. The vast expanse of sky and pinpricks of light left a sort of calm washing over both boys; a sense of peace and carefree wandering that they had not experienced since before their respective traumatic incidents. Fletcher let out a long sigh. This was the last time in a while he would be able to enjoy the night sky without worrying about attack. Suddenly, a streak of light shot through the sky.

"Fletcher, did you see that?" Alphonse gasped, his voice still cold and metallic, but full of wonder. "Make a wish, quick!"

_I wish…I wish…_

Fletcher screwed up his eyes in concentration. _I wish… I wish that all of this could end soon, and that everyone will be okay._ It was a silly thing to wish for, but he still hoped for it to come true.

* * *

Kai awoke with a start to a dull thudding at the foot of his bed. It was 3 o'clock, hardly the time for a wake-up call, rather, probably the latest any of them would dare to fall asleep, not knowing when they were setting out. He cracked an eye open with a sigh, swinging his legs around to sit up in bed. He shook his head, looking around for the source of the noise, but couldn't see anything clearly in the darkness of the night. Not even the thin strip of moonlight could illuminate whatever had made the noise.

He was about to lie back down to sleep when he heard the type of sound one could only hear in nightmares, and horror movies. From deep within the shadows, something drew a long, horribly rattling breath, and exhaled slowly. Kai jumped, snapping his head around to face the foot of his bed once more. He stood up cautiously, approaching carefully, waiting for a messenger of death to come biting at him from behind the bed post.

There was something hunched over, lying on the floor. Closer inspection revealed long tresses of hair, the glint of something metallic, and a small chest slowly rising and falling as Naomi slept peacefully on the hardwood. Kai breathed a sigh of relief and carefully bent over to pick her up. He slid his hands under her carefully, flesh meeting flesh first and then the cold of her automail. He could see that she was shivering, perhaps not from the cold, perhaps from some uncalled for nightmare haunting her much needed sleep.

There was resistance when he lifted her. Her hand wouldn't come up off the floor, weighed down by some unknown factor. He set her down gently, pulling something soft under her head, and went to get Russell.

"What the hell, Kai?" Russell grumbled. He'd fallen asleep at the table in the library, still poring over books. It had taken Kai at least twenty minutes just to find him, all the while worrying more and more about Naomi.

"I don't know what's wrong. Maybe you can make some sense of it." Kai seemed freaked out.

Russell swore silently, hoping this wasn't just some stupid nightmare.

He followed Kai to his room, stepping inside and looking around for something out of place. Kai directed his attention to Naomi where she lay, peacefully, sleeping at the foot of the bed. Russell blew out a long breath as he regarded her, or, more specifically her hand.

Where her hand should have been.

The automail seemed to still be attached, but the metal that made up the hand was secured firmly in the wall, probably crushed to bits inside it now. Unsalvageable. Even Russell couldn't make quick work of this patch job, she would need a specialist. The infamous Pinako or someone like her. And god damn the timing, too; Russell had only just begun to formulate a plan.

Without speaking a word, Russell dashed downstairs to the closet and pulled out a toolkit. He opened it as he was walking downstairs, selecting a small Phillips head screwdriver. When he returned, he ignored Kai's pestering and knelt down beside Naomi's frame, detaching as many of the screws as he could reach with the screwdriver in the dark at that particular angle. Needless to say, the complications came in the wiring. He couldn't just cut them, he knew that. Frantically, he searched for a solution.

He couldn't think of one. Hesitant to what he was about to do, Russell surveyed the red, blue, and green wires carefully before taking hold of one and pulling. From his experience (not that he had much) Naomi should have been screaming from some sort of spark at the shoulder, but nothing happened. He supposed it was okay as long as the wires didn't touch any of the metal. And good god, there was lots of it for those wires to touch.

He taped off the end of each copper strand carefully, and then taped them all together. He only hoped his makeshift mechanics would work out.

And that they would find a real mechanic on the way. Time was running out, and he couldn't say how quickly.


End file.
